The fire in Niebla, which started on Thursday afternoon in the Raboconejo area, remains active and uncontrolled, generating a massive smoke plume over nearby municipalities. Antonio Sanz, Minister of Presidency, Health, and Emergencies and director of the Andalusian Forest Fire Emergency Plan (Plan Infoca), described the situation as "high instability, insecurity, and risk for responders and aerial resources."
Sanz indicated that firefighting efforts are considered "futile" in some areas due to the constant generation of secondary ignitions. The most complex zone is concentrated at the fire's head, where the "clash between the surface fire and the crown fire" is complicating the fire's evolution.
Specifically, the front third of the fire's head is "beyond extinction capacity," leading to the decision to withdraw aerial resources from that area due to its "high instability." The continuous increase in secondary ignitions makes controlling this front "unmanageable."
Wind shifts recorded during the afternoon have severely complicated the fire's evolution, forcing the declaration of an emergency phase, operational situation 1. On the ground, 25 aerial resources and 180 ground personnel are deployed, along with 20 personnel from the Provincial Council of Huelva and six vehicles from the Provincial Firefighters Consortium of Huelva.
Throughout the night and early morning, containing the fire's advance in the southern sector was a priority, despite the higher forest fuel load. The shift in wind towards the north and northwest caused the eastern part of the southern flank to progress southward, requiring containment of this advance ahead of the predicted wind shift to the west and southwest.
As a preventive measure, residents of the hamlets of Raboconejo and Caballón were evacuated. These are second homes, and their approximately twenty residents were able to return to their primary residences without incident. The HU-3106 road and the A-493 were also closed.
The mayor of Niebla, Joaquín Molina, suggested negligence, possibly a "cigarette butt," as the most probable cause for the fire's start, which originated by the roadside.
The delegate of the Junta de Andalucía government in Huelva, Berta Centeno, visited the Advanced Command Post to monitor the fire's evolution. The operational response includes the Provincial Operational Center of Huelva (COP) of EMA Infoca, Firefighters of the Provincial Consortium of Huelva, Civil Guard, National Police, the 061 Health Emergency Center, and Road Maintenance.
The 112 Emergency Service urges the public to avoid risks, stay away from the fire zone, close doors and windows in nearby areas to prevent smoke from entering homes, and take special care of vulnerable individuals such as children, the elderly, and those with chronic respiratory conditions.
Other active fires in the province, such as the one in Villablanca, have been declared extinguished. The fire in Lucena del Puerto is stabilized but not yet extinguished.
