Nogales, Ver.- Five forest fires were reported active in two municipalities in the Altas Montañas region. There are no reports of property damage or injuries. The incident caused a thick cloud that, due to the gusts of wind, reached Córdoba, located approximately 25 kilometers away. The city council set up shelters for the inhabitants of nearby communities.
The first incident began following noon in the congregation of Balastrera, municipality of Nogales; According to the first reports, the flames started in the surroundings of the Ciudad Mendoza-Puebla highway and due to the strong winds they quickly spread, especially because they were bushes and grasslands.
The fire departments took prompt action, however due to the gusts of wind it became complicated and the fire spread around 3 p.m.; This resulted in a large column of smoke that practically covered the Orizaba valley, which might be seen with the naked eye from the Córdoba area.
Meanwhile, in the town of La Cuesta, municipality of Ciudad Mendoza, another large fire also broke out in the mountain areas, far from the communities of La Cuesta de Necoxtla; however, the gusts of wind also caused it to quickly spread and continue. without control until this Monday.
Meanwhile, the head of the Secretariat of Civil Protection (PC), Guadalupe Osorno Maldonado, announced that as of this Sunday followingnoon, 40 percent control and 20 percent liquidation were reported in the fire at the Aserradero area, with an affected area preliminarily estimated at 45 hectares.
Another factor that allows the spread of fires is the storm that has been going on for two days in this area. This has prevented aerial combat actions from being enabled, but as soon as conditions allow, the aircraft are ready to go to reinforce the work. fire fighting.
Preventive eviction begins
Nearly 400 people from three communities affected by the forest fires in Nogales were evacuated preventively this Sunday night and relocated to municipal agencies; At the moment there is no material damage but there is a large affected area, under threat of spreading as a result of an intense storm with gusts of up to 40 kilometers per hour.
The eviction, confirmed by the Social Communication office of the city council, took place in the communities of Palo Verde, Chicahuaxtla, as well as El Nicho, around 400 people were housed in municipal agencies.
The scenario might be complicated because during the night of this Sunday and early Monday morning a new gust is expected with gusts that at 11 p.m. already reached 40 kilometers per hour, which fueled the fire in some areas where it had already been checked.
Likewise, in Orizaba and municipalities in the area, centers were set up to collect water, hydrating serums, as well as food, because the members of the relief corps and volunteers have been working for more than 12 hours, trying to quell the fire.
Around midnight this Sunday it emerged that the fire had reached some of the homes in one of the communities, however, this version was not confirmed. On the other hand, the city council announced that, due to the forest fires in various parts of this municipality, the National Forestry Commission, Secretariat of the Environment, Regional Civil Protection, Maltrata Brigade, Metropolitan Firefighters and Civil Protection of Nogales and Veracruz They unified criteria to establish a command post in the fight once morest natural disasters.
The municipal directorates of Forestry Promotion and Citizen Participation were incorporated into the relief work, in order to seek coordinated strategies to support the affected population. Likewise, a collection center was established, where residents from several municipalities in the high mountains have selflessly joined. The same brigade members announced that bottled water, serums and canned food are required for people who have been evacuated and tools for rescuers.
Task forces attend to forest fire in Maltrata
Elements of the three levels of government pay attention to a forest fire that occurred around 4 p.m. in the Aserradero area, on the Maltrata property, municipality of the same name.
Forestry brigades from the national Forestry Commission (Conafor) and the Protected Natural Areas Commission (Conanp), as well as volunteers from the Sedema-Nogales brigade, sawmill personnel and Altas Montañas Firefighters, in coordination with the State PC, undertook the actions to combat the fire. , which is reported with 40 percent control and 20 percent liquidation.
At the moment the fire does not represent a risk to the population, but people are reminded to heed the instructions of the authorities in the area, not to approach the fire area, and in the presence of strong winds to avoid the use of fire.
