The wildfire near Las Peñas de Riglos in the province of Huesca has affected more than 16,600 hectares and remains active, according to authorities and news agencies on 16 August. While progress is being reported along large sections of the perimeter, the right flank towards the north-east, around Monte Oroel at Jaca, remains the main cause for concern. The Gobierno de Aragón sent a warning via ES-Alert advising people to avoid walks and other activities around Monte Oroel and move to safe urban areas.
The director of firefighting operations, Francho Aso, said the operational team had been able to work on many sections “appropriately and with very good progress”. At the same time, he pointed to the most critical hours of the day, when rising temperatures, falling humidity and possible changes in wind direction made firefighting more difficult. They were proceeding very cautiously and ruled out “no scenario” for how the situation might develop in the affected area, Aso said. Rainfall in the area on Sunday had been ruled out.
According to official sources, emergency crews are currently focusing mainly on the area between Atarés and Monte Oroel, as well as the areas of Anzánigo, Centenero and Santa Cruz de la Serós. Weather conditions were recently considered unfavourable; the aim remains to secure settlements and transport routes and protect the population in Aragon.
Around a thousand emergency personnel were deployed on Sunday, including additional teams from France, supported by several dozen aircraft. The precise number of personnel and resources was described as provisional and may fluctuate depending on how the situation develops. Higher humidity and light winds had temporarily made the work easier the previous night.
Context: The confirmed facts are that the affected area exceeds 16,600 hectares, the fire remains active, the main danger is on the right flank towards Monte Oroel, and the Gobierno de Aragón issued an ES-Alert. The description of the situation and quotations about the dynamics of the operation are attributed to incident commander Francho Aso. Forecasts of further developments remain uncertain and depend largely on the weather, wind and vegetation moisture; there has been no all-clear.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).