More than 25 firefighters - including six aerial vehicles - are working to extinguish a fire declared this Saturday on the Camino Viejo de Gata, near Barranco de la Hiedra de Xàbia (Alicante), which has forced the establishment of situation 1 of the Special Plan Against the Risk of Forest Fires (PEIF) due to its proximity to non-forestry assets, homes and the CV-734 highway.
The fire affects an area located between the towns of Xàbia and Gata, which is why traffic on the road that connects both towns has been interrupted. It also affects land in the municipality of Jesús Pobre, the Dénia City Council has reported through its social networks.
In addition, three unaffected houses have been evacuated as a precaution and the rest of the neighborhood in the area has been notified. According to Civil Guard sources, a total of 98 people have been evacuated as a precaution.
To put out the fire, which started around 11:00 a.m., initially two aerial means, two forest fire units from the Generalitat, two fire engines, an environmental agent, as well as a head command unit, two heavy rural bombs, a heavy forest bomb with a sergeant, two corporals, seven firefighters from the Dénia and Benissa parks of the Alicante Provincial Firefighters Consortium.
As the hours passed, the fire, which had affected an area of sugarcane and vegetation, has gained strength and has been activated on two different fronts, one on each side of the road, the provincial fire department and the Emergency Coordination Center of the Generalitat.
During the day, several means have joined the extinction work and six aerial means, ten crews from the Dénia, Benissa, Benidorm and San Vicente parks Consortium, three forest fire units from the Generalitat, three pumpers, a forestry coordinator, an environmental agent and two county chiefs.
PEIF alert level 1 is established when an emergency situation caused by one or more forest fires may seriously affect forest assets or slightly affect the population and non-forest assets, for whose extinction it may be necessary to incorporate extraordinary means.
