Fire aid on the way vows councillor
THE FOREST fire which broke out in Villanueva de Viver on March 23 was finally classed as being stabilised on Friday (March 31).
This meant that the 1,300 residents who were still in temporary accommodation after being evacuated from villages in the area were able to go back to their homes that day.
However, 73 elderly people living in the care home in Montán were only allowed to return on Tuesday (April 4) after spending 10 days in centres in other areas of the Valencia region.
The emergency headquarters set up in Barracas reported that the fire had burned 4,723 hectares of land of ‘high ecological value’ and the perimeter of the blaze had stretched for around 50km.
The affected area lies to the east of the A-23 motorway in the interior of Castellón province, close to the border with Teruel province.
Regional councillor for justice and the interior, Gabriela Bravo met with mayors from the affected villages on Tuesday to explain that a ‘technical post-emergency office’ will be set up for the area ‘immediately’.
It will be situated in the tourist municipality of Montanejos and staff will ‘give all the necessary support to town halls’. A regional government team of experts will be set up to evaluate the damage caused to public and private infrastructure.
Their aim is to be able to give financial aid to affected people as quickly as possible and that their lives should return to normal, said Sra Bravo.
The regional government will also start work on a recovery plan for the area devastated by the flames.
This will be designed to ‘reduce the effects of depopulation, incentivise agricultural activity, improve land management, and give a boost to tourism’.