A serious fire hits Zamora and threatens several towns in the Arribes del Duero Natural Park

The forest fire declared this Wednesday in Fermoselle has reached Potential Severity Index 2 and has forced the evacuation of seven towns in Zamora. Civil Protection has also ordered the confinement of Fermoselle due to the rapid advance of the flames through the Arribes del Duero Natural Park.

The evacuated towns are Cibanal, Formariz, Fornillos de Fermoselle, Palazuelo de Sayago, Pinilla de Fermoselle, Mámoles and Záfara. Their residents have been transferred to Bermillo de Sayago, where a device has been prepared to assist them.

The seven towns total around 370 registered inhabitants, although the population of the region increases considerably during the summer due to the arrival of family members and vacationers. In Fermoselle, nearly a thousand people reside during the rest of the year.

The Emergency Coordination Center has sent an Es-Alert message to mobile phones in the area to inform about the evacuations. The alert asks to leave the affected towns, go to the enabled point in Bermillo de Sayago and call 112 only when there is an emergency.

The fire started at 1:05 p.m. south of Fermoselle. At 1:36 p.m. it was raised to level 1 and, shortly after 2:00 p.m., it reached level 2 due to the serious threat to population centers and assets located outside the forest area.

The wind changes and the flames reach Fermoselle

The mayor of Fermoselle, José Manuel Pilo, has warned that the fire is following a similar path to the large fire suffered by the area nine years ago. "It is following the same path that the great fire of 2017 had," he explained to 'ABC'.

The flames have advanced from the surroundings of the Tormes river through an area of steep slopes and ravines. The complicated orography of Arribes del Duero limits the access of terrestrial vehicles and increases the importance of helicopters and planes that carry out discharges on the front.

The fire has also approached the two nursing homes in Fermoselle. Their residents have been moved to the municipal sports center after the flames reached the vicinity of both buildings. Health personnel, municipal workers, and neighbors have mobilized to assist them.

Pilo has pointed to the changing wind as one of the main difficulties for the operation. The shifts have altered the direction of the flames and opened different fronts, which forces a constant redistribution of the deployed resources.

Close to 40 aerial and ground resources are working in the area. The operation includes technicians, environmental agents, ground and heliborne crews, four fire engines, three bulldozers, aerial resources, and provincial fire brigades. The affected area has not yet been quantified, and the causes remain under investigation.

The heatwave complicates extinction

The fire started coinciding with the arrival of a new heatwave in Spain. The AEMET station in Zamora reached 38.3 degrees this Wednesday, while large areas of Castilla y León registered temperatures close to or above 39.

Extreme heat leaves vegetation drier and allows any fire to advance rapidly. Added to this situation are variable gusts, the accumulation of grass and scrub, and a steep terrain that hinders the work of the crews.

The fire affects an area of great environmental value within the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, near the border with Portugal and the limit with the province of Salamanca. The operation maintains vigilance over the Tormes riverbed and over the homes and infrastructures located in the direction of the flames.

Fermoselle remains confined, and access points remain controlled. Civil Protection asks its residents to stay in their homes, keep doors and windows closed, and exclusively follow the instructions of the emergency services.