Asturias is in a critical situation after 121 forest fires were recorded in the autonomous community of northern Spain during Thursday night and early Friday morning. The lack of rain and strong gusts of wind are hampering efforts to extinguish the fire, which has led to the eviction of 375 people in the western area and the cessation of traffic on the Cantabrian Highway that connects the region with Galicia.
The authorities of the region have estimated that many of the fires were intentionally set, which has led the Minister of Rural Environment and Territorial Cohesion of the Government of Asturias, Alejandro Calvo, to declare in an interview that this is “an unprecedented wave of arson” and has promised that “the full weight of the law” will be applied to those responsible.
The president of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, has denounced the “fire terrorists” for endangering “lives, towns, and cities,” insisting that the region is burning. According to Barbón’s estimates, at least 90% of the cases are clearly provoked, and all that remains to be determined is who is responsible.
To fight the fires, more than 600 troops, dozens of vehicles, five helicopters, and two seaplanes granted by the Ministry for Ecological Transition have been deployed. The delegate of the government in Asturias, Delia Losa, has assured that the Guardia Civil “is investigating possible suspects,” but that it does not yet have “sufficient data to proceed to [make] arrests.” Losa also stressed that arson is equivalent to “an attack against Asturias, against biodiversity, and against people,” and, therefore, those involved will have to answer to justice.