The president of the Regional Government of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, has officially announced the stabilization of the Niebla fire, which over eleven days has ravaged approximately 38,000 hectares in the provinces of Huelva and Sevilla. The decision was made after 36 hours without detecting new outbreaks or active flames within the affected perimeter.
This declaration permits the withdrawal of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) and the return of the more than 600 residents who had been evacuated from their homes in various populated areas. The operational situation has been downgraded from Level 2 to Level 1.
The stabilization of the fire has also allowed the reopening of roads that had been closed for safety reasons, including the A-493 between Valverde del Camino and La Palma del Condado, the HU-3106 between Niebla and Valverde, the HU-4103 towards Berrocal, and the HU-5104 between Zalamea la Real and Berrocal.
Although the fire is stabilized, hot spots still exist, and smoke columns may appear. Infoca personnel will continue working in the area for weeks to achieve total extinction and prevent potential flare-ups.
During the emergency, over 1,000 personnel, 21 fire engines, 18 heavy machinery units, and 33 aircraft worked on extinguishing efforts. The fire was characterized by its changing behavior, influenced by factors such as wind, humidity, and high temperatures, requiring constant adaptation of strategies.
The population has learned new technical vocabulary related to firefighting, such as pyrocumulus, convective columns, secondary outbreaks, and defense lines, terms that reflected the complexity and risk of the situation.
