Maximum concern over the Niebla fire, in Huelva, given the advance of its left flank

The Niebla forest fire remains active and has become the most concerning fire in Huelva at the moment. The Junta de Andalucía maintains the emergency phase activated in operational situation 1 while the Infoca Plan concentrates a large deployment in the Raboconejo area to stop the advance of the flames.

The initial assessment places the affected area at around 380 hectares of eucalyptus, dehesa, and pine forest, although the figure is still provisional and may vary when specialists complete the perimeter measurement. The fire started at 6:34 PM this Thursday near kilometer 13 of the HU-3106 road.

The main concern is on the left flank. The continuous changes in wind direction can turn this area into the main front of the fire, so teams are working to contain it and reduce its length. High temperatures, gusts of up to 38 kilometers per hour, and abundant vegetation are hindering the tasks.

The deployment has been reinforced during the afternoon, reaching 24 aerial assets and 120 ground personnel. By air, a light helicopter, seven medium-heavy, three heavy, six ground-loading planes, three light amphibious, two heavy amphibious from the Ministry for Ecological Transition, and two coordination aircraft are involved. The operation also has seven fire engines and four bulldozers.

The initial proximity of the flames forced the preventive evacuation of 23 inhabitants from the villages of Raboconejo and Caballón. Most occupied second homes and have moved to their usual residences in Niebla and Valverde del Camino. The City Council keeps its accommodation resources prepared in case it is necessary to assist more affected people.

The smoke has also reached Valverde del Camino. The Emergencias 112 service recommends closing doors and windows, reducing outdoor exposure, and especially protecting children, the elderly, and citizens with respiratory conditions.

The cause remains under investigation. The Mayor of Niebla, Joaquín Molina, explained that the fire started "at the roadside" and considers it probable that it originated from negligence, possibly a cigarette butt. Specialists have not yet confirmed this hypothesis and keep all possibilities open.

Juanma Moreno thanks Infoca for its work and asks for maximum caution

Juanma Moreno highlighted the effort made by the Infoca Plan during especially complicated days for Andalusia. The President of the Junta recalled this Thursday that an average of 15 forest fire outbreaks are registered daily in the community and asked for extreme caution during the summer.

"Not a single risk! Please, maximum caution throughout the summer," Moreno demanded. The Andalusian President insisted on the importance of "prevention, caution" and citizen collaboration, in addition to publicly thanking the work of Infoca professionals.

Huelva has suffered three forest fires in just 48 hours. The one in Villablanca has been controlled and the one declared in Lucena del Puerto is stabilized. All efforts are now concentrated in Niebla, where the operation continues to work to close the perimeter and prevent the wind from reigniting the flames.