Sagunto closes its port to help fight the Vall d'Uixó wildfire
Sagunto's port stayed closed to shipping traffic on Monday so that firefighting seaplanes could scoop up seawater for the forest fire burning in Vall d'Uixó, in its third active day, the Valencian government's emergency coordination centre confirmed.
Sagunto's port woke up on Monday with its waters closed to any maritime traffic, a decision made to clear the space where firefighting seaplanes load seawater before dropping it on the forest fire burning in Vall d'Uixó, according to the Valencian regional government's Emergency Coordination Centre.
The fire was in its third active day and had already burned 7,200 hectares across a 67-kilometre perimeter. To boost firefighting efforts, 30 aircraft joined the operation that day: 17 from the Valencian government, 10 from Spain's national Ministry, and three from other Spanish regions, alongside more than 400 people working on the ground.
The human toll has been severe: since Saturday, 16,000 people from 18 towns have had to leave their homes, while another 75,000 remain confined indoors in three municipalities in Castellón province, Vall d'Uixó, Onda and Betxí. The temporary closure of Sagunto's port, though brief, shows how much the fight against this fire also depends on infrastructure far from the flames themselves.
Although the fire's source is inland in Castellón province, its effects have also been visible along Sagunto's coast, where the smoke plume could be seen from the shore for several days, a common occurrence during major wildfires that affects air quality even in towns far from the active front. The temporary closure of maritime traffic in Sagunto's port, brief as it was, is a reminder that the district's port infrastructure can be pressed into emergency service for operations that, in principle, have nothing to do with its usual cargo activity.
This kind of cross-municipal, cross-provincial coordination is common during major wildfires in the Valencian Community, where aircraft need water-loading points close to the active fire front, and ports along Valencia's northern coast, including Sagunto's, are among the sites the regional government can mobilise depending on where the fire is burning. While the fire remains active, further temporary restrictions on maritime traffic in the area cannot be ruled out.
According to El Periódico de Aquí, with additional data from El País.