The Department of Emergencies and Civil Protection in Orihuela is taking action to ensure their Local Plan for the Prevention of Forest Fires is implemented.
Although early in the year compared to when the situation normally becomes problematic, fire fighters in certain areas of Spain, such as Asturias, are already monitoring the situation which can so easily get out of control, and so the action by Orihuela is timely.
The delegate councillor for the area in Orihuela, Guillermo Cánovas, explained that Orihuela is obliged to have a plan of this type according to the regional regulations on fire prevention, since the municipality has 9,650 hectares of forest land which could be considered at risk, 26.4 percent of the total area.
In addition, the circumstance occurs that the plan also affects the areas that are within a margin of 500 metres next to the perimeter of the land classified as forest, which means that the land covered by this plan amounts to 22,170 hectares, 87 percent of the municipal area.
In this way, the plan proposes a series of specific actions such as delimiting areas at risk of fire, analysing the current situation and its evolution in relation to fire risk, developing dissemination and awareness actions, reducing the vulnerability of infrastructures, analysing means of surveillance and establish priorities regarding the execution of this plan.
Guillermo Cánovas recalled that this plan was already raised and approved by the Plenary in 2020, although the Generalitat warned of deficiencies that have been corrected.
“The change in climatic conditions has made the land more arid and, therefore, there is a greater risk of fires and conditions for them to spread more easily,” said Guillermo Cánovas. In this way, this plan “intends to clarify the guidelines in order to prevent fire and, if it occurs, react quickly and effectively to avoid further damage”, he pointed out.
