El fuego de Gata arrasa 5.000 hectáreas y sigue descontrolado por el viento

Perales del Puerto/Mérida, August 7 (EFE) (Images: Eduardo Palomo and Carlos García).- The forest fire that broke out yesterday in the Sierra de Gata (Cáceres), which forced the evacuation of some 1,500 people early this morning, has already destroyed more than 5,000 hectares of pine, olive groves, and scrubland and remains out of control due to the constant and changing gusts of wind that are hampering extinguishing efforts. The fire, which is affecting an area of ​​​​high scenic and tourist value, full of natural pools, could have been intentionally set, according to residents and the mayor of Perales del Puerto, José Luis Perales Crespo, as it is the fifth in the region in just over a week. The President of Extremadura, Guillermo Fernández Vara, has stated that "when fires are concentrated in a very specific area, it is because human intervention must have been involved in some way, because the Sierra de Gata is neither hotter nor drier than the rest of Extremadura." STATEMENTS BY SANTIAGO FUENTESECA, A RESIDENT OF PERALES DEL PUERTO, AVACUADO, AND JOSÉ LUIS PERALES, MAYOR OF PERALES DEL PUERTO. Keywords: efe, fire, Extremadura, Sierra de Gata