Calderona Fire: 423 Hectares Burned, 1,000 Evacuated from Gátova

A force of 300 personnel is fighting the blaze, with optimism due to improving weather conditions. The fire was caused by lightning.

Generic image of smoke from a forest fire in the Serra de la Calderona with emergency lights.
IA

Generic image of smoke from a forest fire in the Serra de la Calderona with emergency lights.

A forest fire that broke out on Thursday in the Serra de la Calderona has already affected 423 hectares and forced the evacuation of the thousand residents of Gátova due to the uncontrolled spread of the flames.

The fire, which originated in the municipality of Segorbe (Alt Palància) presumably from a lightning strike during Thursday's dry storms, is spreading across a perimeter of over 11 kilometers. Its proximity to the urban center of Gátova, in Camp de Túria, led to the precautionary evacuation of its inhabitants around 5:00 PM.
Currently, the fire presents three fronts with difficult terrain, complicating access for the firefighting teams. Numerous ground and air resources from the provincial consortia of Valencia and Castellón, as well as forest units from the Generalitat Valenciana, are working in the area. The regional government has requested support from the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) and has activated Situation 2 of the Special Plan for Forest Fires (PEIF), which anticipates significant impact on the population or natural environment.
According to José Melitón, head of firefighting operations, between 250 and 280 personnel are deployed at the site. A meeting of the Cecopi was held at the advanced command post (PMA) in Gátova at 7:00 PM to plan overnight operations. Attendees included the President of the Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, the Minister of Emergencies, Juan Carlos Valderrama, and the Spanish government delegate, Pilar Bernabé, among other authorities. Minister of Science, Diana Morant, stated that the Spanish government has mobilized 110 personnel, including UME soldiers and Civil Guard officers, along with eleven water-bombing aircraft.

"The night is being faced with optimism due to the improvement in meteorological conditions."

Minister of Emergencies · Juan Carlos Valderrama