Yesterday saw a fire break out just above the Béznar Reservoir which was declared as under control by 20.00h that same day but not yet extinguished.

Things had looked tricky at first because the Minister for Emergencies for the Junta, Antonio Sanz, elevated the emergency status to Level One, which involved asking residents to stay in their homes and sent out a Es-Alert. Some residents were also evactuated in the immediate area of the fire (cortijos).

However, as the day wore on, the emergency level was dropped. Consequently the stay-at-home alert was lifted.

Infoca crews tackled the fire, using ground units and several Air Tractor, single-engined, water bomber with floats, allowing it to fill its water tank from the reservoir.

In fact, Infoca deployed 125 personnel, three fire engines, two light helicopters, three medium-heavy helicopters, one heavy helicopter, and one command helicopter. Six land-based cargo planes and two coordination planes also worked at the scene.

Furthemore, just after 17:00h, the GR-3204 was closed to traffic between kilometre points seven and nine in both directions in El Pinar-El Valle.

In fact, the resources turn out was immense, including the Granada Fire Department, the Motril Fire Department, the Guardia Civil, a Policía Nacional unit attached to the Junta, the Andalusian Emergency Group (GREA), the Policia Local, Proteción Civil from Ogíjares and Lanjarón, as well as road maintenance crews.

Both the Rules Reservoir and the Béznar one were cleared of people boating and wind surfing on them in order to secure the area for aerial, water bombers filling up. Around 100 people, 73 of whom were minors, were evacuated from a campsite in Réstabal (ValleScout de Restábal, who were given temporary accommodation in a junior school) and smoke caused a lack-of-visibility problem on the A-44 where it passes next to Beznar.

Update 26th: during the night firefighters worked without air support, fighting against strong winds that reignited the flames in one part of the affected area. First estimates put the area affected as some 200 hectares.

(News: Beznar/Pinos del Valle, Valle de Lecrin, Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: Hill Fire, Beznar Reservoir, Pinos del Valle, Infoca, Fire Department, Water Bombers Emergency Level One

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