Since the beginning of this month, the Autonomous Community has implemented the special "Thader" operation, which is stepping up its fire detection and extinguishing efforts along the banks of the Segura River.
This special protection operation, comprised of environmental agents and rapid response brigades, will be in effect until October 15th. It seeks to preserve these ecosystems and minimize the impact of potential fires. The operation was inaugurated in 2010 due to repeated fires related to the burning of sugarcane fields along the river.
The Director General of the Natural Environment, Consuelo Rosauro, presented in Blanca, together with the Mayor of Blanca, Ester Hortelano, and the Councilor for the Environment, Amador Ruiz, the special device that the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment has implemented until, with the aim of reducing forest fires in these ecosystems. She indicated that "these alter the tree and shrub vegetation, seriously affect the fauna and pose a permanent danger to other environmental values located on the banks of the Segura and its surroundings."
Furthermore, these fires pose a physical risk to all those involved in extinguishing them and a considerable economic loss, both due to the resources deployed to extinguish them and the value of the property lost in the flames.
Since its establishment, the number of riverside fires has decreased each year, although the highest alert is in place to prevent their spread. To this end, environmental agents and specialized forestry brigades patrol the banks of the Segura, Argos, Mula, and Pliego rivers, as well as numerous watercourses, daily.
Their duties include providing information and support to all users of these areas and, as a last resort, correcting irresponsible behavior or activities. In addition, rapid response brigades record locations where branches accumulate in or near streambeds and riverbeds, where a riverbank fire is expected to start. Regional officers inspect these locations and contact the owners of adjacent plots to prevent unauthorized burning and the resulting risk.
Environmental agents from Moratalla, Cehegín, Calasparra, Cieza, Abarán, Mula, and Ricote are participating in the operation. They will be joined by rapid response brigades from Mula, Cieza, Murcia, and Caravaca de la Cruz, with a light vehicle equipped with a 400- to 800-liter tanker. A total of 32 personnel will participate in the operation.
Data
From January to April 2017, 15 riverside fires broke out. All were left in a smouldering fire, with a total area affected of 1.28 hectares. The largest of these fires, with an area of 0.59 hectares, occurred on April 11 in the Devil's Ravine of Albudeite, on the Mula River.
Of the 15 fires, two affected an area of between 0.1 and one hectare, while the remaining 13 were contained thanks to the intervention of resources coordinated by the Autonomous Community's Infomur Plan.