Huelva fire shows positive signs, with 'large part' of the flanks 'without active fire front'

Speaking to reporters in Niebla, regional minister of emergencies Antonio Sanz said crews had eliminated all fire activity on the southern flank after dealing with the Los Carneros area.

Meanwhile, the north-western sector, stretching from El Pozuelo and Marigenta to Berrocal, spent the night under close surveillance as crews tackled isolated hot spots.

The northern sector, from Berrocal towards El Álamo, also has no active fire front. Crews are now concentrating on cooling the perimeter with water lines after heavy machinery completed a defensive firebreak along the Camino de Los Camellos.

However, Sanz said the eastern sector remains "the most active area" and continues receiving the greatest firefighting effort, particularly along the fronts running from the Aznalcóllar-El Álamo road towards El Castillo de las Guardas.

Crews have faced "complex" conditions in this area because pyrocumulus clouds and convective activity have generated spot fires as far as 3.5 kilometres away. On several occasions, the conditions forced crews to withdraw both aircraft and ground teams for safety reasons.

Sanz stated that the situation had "changed" and that the fire no longer falls into the category of a blaze "beyond firefighting capacity": a term used when all fronts remain active.

Despite the improvement, the regional minister warned that the fire would go down in history "not so much because of its size", but because of its "extraordinary complexity".

"It is the only fire in Andalucía where extreme conditions have persisted for seven consecutive days, with five or six changes in wind direction every day, moving around the compass like the hands of a clock. That is unprecedented," he said.

The constantly shifting winds have forced firefighters to "continually modify" their tactics and have encouraged the formation of convective activity and pyrocumulus clouds.

On Thursday, these phenomena generated fast-moving spot fires, some as far as 3.5 kilometres from the main fire. Sanz explained that they "reduce the effectiveness of aircraft by evaporating the water before it reaches the ground and force ground crews to withdraw temporarily to ensure their safety".

Regarding the area affected, the regional minister urged "caution" when distinguishing between the area covered by the fire perimeter and the hectares actually burned.

Sanz noted that the Copernicus satellite programme will later "confirm the presence of numerous 'islands' of untouched vegetation within the perimeter".

The fire has now spread across more than 38,000 hectares, although the area actually burned will prove "considerably smaller", according to Sanz. The operation currently has 875 personnel working in rotation, supported by 33 aircraft and 352 pieces of mechanical equipment, including 18 bulldozers.

As for the impact on local residents, 660 people have so far left their homes, with 53 currently staying at the theatre in Zalamea la Real and the active participation centre in El Castillo de las Guardas.

Sanz said that no homes in the affected towns have suffered damage. Between 8am and 11am on Friday, authorities allowed organised trips back into the affected areas so evacuated residents could collect medication and important documents or feed their animals.

The Andalusian regional government is also assessing whether to allow more residents to return home later on Friday, depending on how the fire develops. On Thursday, 60 people from areas including Raboconejo, Caballón, La Florida and Las Arenas returned to their homes.

In the latest development on the road network, authorities have reopened the road between Valverde and Niebla, which had remained closed because of the danger posed by the fire.

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