Andalusian authorities evacuate nearly 400 people from Huelva province village due to wildfire spreading with the wind

Andalusian regional minister of emergencies Antonio Sanz has confirmed that the authorities evacuated 384 people from Villanueva de las Cruces on Wednesday afternoon due to the El Cerro de Andévalo fire.

The fire, Sanz explained, has expanded due to a change in wind direction. He stated, however, that the local population is "out of danger", thanks to the efforts of the deployed resources.

Speaking to the media, Sanz said that it is a "typical wind-driven fire". The north-west wind of Huelva "triggers gusts of between 25 and 35 kilometres per hour".

The Andalusian regional ministry activated operational stage 1 of the emergency plan after learning of a change in wind direction. The weather conditions have "complicated" the fire.

The emergency services sent "a civil protection alert to the residents of Villanueva de Las Cruces requesting the evacuation of their homes and that they head towards Calañas, in addition to, logically, closing doors and windows and following the instructions" on Wednesday.

The 384 evacuees have gathered at the Calañas sports centre, where the temporary shelter is located.

Sanz said that 13 aircraft are still operating, along with more than 120 forest firefighters, including two fire crews from Huelva.

The A-475 road remains closed to traffic between kilometres 11.8 and 22.4 in Villanueva de las Cruces-Alosno due to the fire.

Sanz outlined "three priorities for action". The first is to "protect the people".

On the other hand, Sanz said that, "since the change in wind direction hasn't completely reversed the fire's trajectory", another priority is the head of the fire, the left flank, perhaps the most active area. The third priority would be the tail, the right flank.

Sanz highlighted the actions of the medical emergency personnel who transferred a bedridden resident to a relative's house and assisted people who had suffered smoke inhalation.

Sanz stated that the left and right flanks of the fire make tackling it difficult, but the successful evacuation of the population allows the fire crews to focus on that task.

The regional minister said that it's possible that the fire has exceeded 1,200 hectares, as they still have to assess the damage. This leaves the regional ministry and emergency crews "a lot of work".

At night, when the air support left, the ground crews who "had done a spectacular job" remained. "The newly deployed heavy machinery unit has been directly involved in fighting the fire. This is an extraordinary effort," Sanz said.

"Tonight, Huelva has conditions that we don't have elsewhere, namely the ability to deploy heavy machinery on virtually all flanks and along all lines. Therefore, we are confident that we can at least tackle those two most active areas," he stated.

Sanz also clarified that, despite the extensive resources deployed, they can send more, "if needed".

"At this moment, even if the left flank were to advance, there would be no impact on locals," he concluded.

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