Maximum Alert in Estivella: Wildfire Forces Evacuations in Camp de Morvedre District
A vegetation fire that broke out on Sunday near the Palancia River forced residents to leave their homes in Estivella and brought five aircraft and multiple ground crews into action.
The fire started at midday on Sunday 21 June, just metres from the town centre of Estivella, a municipality of 1,710 inhabitants that borders Sagunto directly. The flames spread through an area known as La Xopera, where an old factory stands, and came close to a row of terraced houses near a road bridge. Emergency crews managed to hold the fire back before it reached the buildings.
Mayor Francesc Mateu told reporters that the blaze was not yet under control in the early hours, though firefighters were working hard to contain it. As a precaution, gas cylinders were removed from a nearby business. The operation, coordinated by the Valencian Government's Emergency Coordination Centre, eventually deployed five aircraft, Forest Firefighter units, forestry brigades, and vehicles from the Valencia Provincial Fire Service Consortium.
The high flammability of riverside vegetation is partly explained by the condition of the Palancia River, which runs nearly dry through this stretch in summer due to intensive water extraction for irrigation. Reported by elperiodicodeaqui.com.