A devastating wildfire that killed at least 12 people in southern Spain came largely under control on Sunday (July 12). Several hundred residents were evacuated because of the fire, but they have now begun returning home, even as firefighters continue working to bring it fully under control, the country’s officials said.
The regional emergency services chief, Antonio Sanz, said on Saturday night that of about 1,500 people evacuated from the fire-hit area of Almería province, around 600 had been allowed to return home. The decision was taken as firefighters made significant progress in controlling the fire.
In a statement from the Andalusia regional government, Sanz said: “Today’s operations and the stabilization of a large part of the fire have made these measures possible. Maintaining maximum caution, we are moving gradually toward a return to normalcy.”
The situation also improved on Saturday as the weather improved. With wind speeds dropping and humidity in the air rising, firefighters got the chance to conduct operations directly against the fire.
Justice Minister Félix Bolaños said on Saturday that firefighters had been able to advance further toward bringing the wildfire under control by taking advantage of favorable wind and humidity.
He also said the fire had not spread anew on Saturday, so the damaged area had held steady at about 6,600 hectares. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is due to visit the affected area on Monday.
Authorities are so far putting the death toll at 12. But they warned that the true number of missing could not be confirmed until autopsies were carried out and the identities of the recovered bodies confirmed. Officials said many of the dead could be foreign nationals.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report