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After fourteen days that tested the limits of Spain's emergency response, the wildfire that broke out near Niebla in Huelva on Thursday August 6 was officially declared under control on Thursday August 20 at 10.00am. Andalucía's first vice president and Minister of the Presidency, Health and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, announced the news and thanked everyone involved in fighting the blaze.

 

At its most ferocious, the fire was described as potentially the worst environmental disaster in Andalucía's history, with flames jumping kilometres at a time and aerial resources unable to operate effectively as water evaporated before reaching the ground. The fire ultimately burned through approximately 33,000 hectares across eleven municipalities in the provinces of Huelva and Seville, with several hundred people evacuated from their homes during the emergency.

 

The road to Thursday's announcement was long. Progress came in stages, with conditions shifting constantly and the operation requiring the kind of coordination across local, regional and national resources that few emergencies demand. The fire was first declared stabilised on Monday August 17 at 10.30am, allowing hundreds of evacuees to finally return home after days away, but achieving full control took a further four days.

 

The scale of what was lost will take time to fully assess. The affected area includes eucalyptus groves, pine forest, scrubland and pastureland across both provinces, and the environmental and economic impact on the communities involved will be considerable.

 

For the firefighters, military personnel, pilots, emergency workers and local officials who spent two weeks battling one of the most complex fires in recent memory, Thursday's announcement brought a moment of genuine relief. Sanz acknowledged the entire team in his message, a fitting recognition of an extraordinary collective effort.

 

The investigation into the cause of the fire continues.

 

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Niebla/Facebook