A wildfire declared on Tuesday in Leciñena, Zaragoza, has burned more than 1,000 hectares of pine forest in the Sierra de Alcubierre in just two and a half hours. Authorities have activated a large firefighting operation involving the UME.
The fire started around 15:30 in an area of scrubland and undergrowth, also affecting agricultural land. Temperatures up to 35 degrees and strong cierzo wind gusts caused its rapid spread.
The regional minister of Finance, Interior and Public Administration, Roberto Bermúdez de Castro, said after the CECOPI meeting that the circumstances are very serious and that they are not optimistic. Vice President Mar Vaquero noted that a harvester could be the origin, although the investigation will determine the cause.
The Special Civil Protection Plan was activated at operational level 2. About 250 personnel, including Infoar brigades, resources from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the UME, are working on site. The A-129 road remains closed between kilometer points 25 and 39.
Higher humidity is expected overnight, but wind gusts above 70 km/h are forecast tomorrow, anticipating a very hard day for firefighting teams. Aragón will request support from neighboring regions.
