As a preventive measure and on a regular basis, the Andalusian Forest Fire Service (Infoca) carries out prescribed burns in areas with abundant dry vegetation and close to residential areas. On Wednesday 20th, one such burn was carried out in the upper part of El Chaparral residential area, fortunately without complication.
To carry out this type of burn, Infoca first measures, almost to the millimetre, the wind, humidity and temperature parameters expected that day at the site, all to ensure the fire is kept under control at all times and burns itself out without the need for water. “In this case, we can only burn when there is a ‘Levante’ wind so as not to affect the population, which is our main objective”, explained Alejandro Molina, director of Infoca in Málaga, adding that “this winter we have barely been able to carry out any burns because we have had so much rain; in fact, until last week this plot wouldn’t even burn.
- El concejal de Bomberos junto al jefe de este cuerpo en Mijas y el director del Infoca.
- I. PÉREZ.
More than 20 officers from this firefighting unit took part in the operation, supported by the Mijas Fire Brigade and Civil Protection volunteers, “who are here to lend a hand in case the situation worsens, which it hasn’t, but we have provided two fire engines ready for any call-out”, said the councillor for the Fire Service, Francisco Jerez (Vox).
According to the director of Infoca, these burns are also used to train firefighting personnel, “especially to provide training for our group leaders so that they, in turn, can pass this knowledge on to their respective subordinates”.
- El fuego se realizó durante la mañana de este miércoles y se consumió sin complicaciones.
- I. PÉREZ.
Wednesday’s burn took place next to an area where a similar fire was carried out in November last year, “both of low intensity, that is, with small flames that have very little impact on the ecosystem”, said Molina, “and in the November burn we managed to reduce the fuel load from 44 to 5 tonnes, which helps a lot when it comes to extinguishing a fire should one occur”.
Finally, the councillor for the Fire Service recalled that “this winter has been very rainy and there is overgrown undergrowth throughout practically the entire municipality, so let’s hope that, despite the circumstances, the summer will be like last year’s, when we had many outbreaks but, fortunately, they were all extinguished in less than three hours”.
Share it with this link: https://mijasint.com/?a=38178
