Los Gallardos fire remains contained, offering a ‘favourable outlook’ for its stabilisation

He made this statement during a press briefing at the forward command post in Turre (Almeria) after visiting, together with the other authorities, the perimeter of the entire affected area to assess the condition of the homes threatened by the flames and to confirm that "practically all" of them "have not been affected".

“The fire has not spread at all today,” said Bolaños, expressing his satisfaction after confirming that the fire-fighting teams led by Infoca, UME, the Forest Fire Reinforcement Brigades (BRIF) and the fire service had taken advantage of the “window of opportunity” that had opened up on Saturday as the wind died down and humidity levels rose, which had helped in tackling the flames.

Accompanied by Andalusian minister Antonio Sanz, the Bolaños reported on the assessment carried out by local authorities, which was supplemented by that of the Guardia Civil, covering almost 250 homes, "virtually all" of which were found to be unaffected by the fire following an inspection carried out "one by one" – which is "very good news".

Bolaños pointed out that, for the time being, some 1,400 people remain evacuated from their homes, and have been rehoused in hotels, holiday homes or private residences, in order to close the temporary shelters that were set up during the initial phase.

“The Spanish government will cover all of these costs,” he stated, noting that the costs of providing for the displaced could be “very high” for the small local councils in the area, while conveying “all his encouragement” and “all his support” to those displaced, expressing his hope that they would be able to return “as soon as possible” to their homes once “all the necessary safeguards” were in place.

The minister explained, in this regard, that the Andalusian regional government had allowed, “for a very specific period” and “subject to safety measures”, some residents to return to their homes, accompanied by others, to “collect certain personal belongings”, such as medicines or identification documents, although he made it clear that “at this stage, they cannot yet return to their homes on a permanent basis”.

Looking ahead to Saturday evening, Bolaños explained that the weather is expected to be “favourable”, although he said – “with the utmost caution” – that there may be changes in the status of the fire this Sunday morning, which remains at operational level 2.

“There are still active hotspots, we are working across the entire perimeter so that we can then begin to bring the fire under control,” he explained, before going on to thank, on behalf of the government, “all those public servants” for their work on the ground, as “some of them are truly exhausted”.

For the minister, it is at times like this that “we must recognise the value of the public sector” and the “safety net” provided by the emergency services, Civil Protection and all those involved in fighting fires such as this one, the cause of which is still under investigation, as he has pointed out.

Bolaños pointed out that the Spanish government has deployed a total of 562 personnel. All of them will remain on the ground “for as long as necessary” so that “we can stabilise this fire, bring it under control and then extinguish it as soon as possible”.