According to provisional calculations by the district's authorities, Ourense is the area most affected by the fires, having suffered three forest fires in a row in recent days, RTVE reported.
Image from: Ovation
Although two of them have been contained, the fires in the city of Monterrey (Monterrei, located in the southern part of Ourense province) are still not under control. Currently, these fires have burned about 850 hectares of land.
Among the most worrisome is the forest fire that began Friday afternoon in the city of Monterrey. According to ABC, at 10:30 p.m. that day, smoke from the spreading fire had approached the village of A Salgueira, and the area had to sound a level 2 alert because of its proximity to residential areas, and the road connecting Medeiros and O Requeixo was cut off as a precaution. It was not until the early hours of Saturday morning, 11 hours after the incident, that the danger of the fire affecting homes was eliminated. During this time, residents of the area stayed up all night and the government sent military emergency units to fight the fire. More than 35 fire departments, nine helicopters and 12 aircraft, among others, also concentrated their efforts to fight the fire.
However, strong winds in the area have been hampering firefighting efforts and the fire has changed direction several times. As a result, the fire was not under control until yesterday afternoon. According to the latest estimates, the fire has destroyed 450 hectares of land.
Monterrey is known for its outstanding winemaking vineyards and historic artistic heritage, and many of the region"s vineyards were destroyed in the fire.
