All the natural reserves of Cáceres are already burning after an arson fire broke out in Jerte

• Direct Last minute of the fires in Spain

• Extremadura Pain and anger in the Monfragüe fire: "It has been a real hell, never seen before"

The green

, full of waterfalls, waterfalls, natural pools, rivers, meanders, lush vegetation or paradisiacal routes through incomparable environmental zones, burns on all four sides.

After Las Hurdes (on Monday), Monfragüe (Thursday), Sierra de Gata (lighter, on Saturday), the fatal blow occurred last night, when the emblematic

in the heart of

, began to burn.

It was an emotional (and economic) stab when it seemed that the rest of the fires in the province of Cáceres, after a few very hard days and without control, began to mitigate, although always pending the force of the wind.

On top of that, in the middle of the high season of tourism, with rural houses, the main offer of these green areas, overflowing with visitors after the tourism sector began to recover after the restrictions of the pandemic: "The cancellations are total," he admits sadly.

, president of the

.

These are jewels of nature, classified as nature reserves, which, one after one, have been falling like a house of cards before the astonished gaze of residents and tourists, many of them transferred to sports centers or residences in other unaffected towns such as prevention.

In the specific case of

, it is a fire with two points at its origin.

"Clearly it has been provoked with all the intention", has confirmed the general director of Forest Policy of the Ministry of Agriculture,

Before the flames started, witnesses saw two flares in the area.

The one in Las

was caused by lightning;

that of Monfragüe is still in the investigation phase (the neighbors speak of burnt tires), but there is no doubt in that of the

: in the hands of arsonists.

On this occasion, the flames affected a gorge, that of Hell, which is the most emblematic and the one with the greatest tourist attraction, that of Hell, which includes giant kettles as well known as

.

This Sunday the accesses that go from the Interpretation Center of the

towards the

, and from the cord that comes out of it, towards the town of

, were cut off .

ECONOMIC DISASTER

"For every reservation that is cancelled, there are two others that are not made," underlines the president of the

, who points out that vacationers in these natural areas of Extremadura usually stay in the place for a long time, in comparison with other types of tourism: "They come to rest and enjoy nature, without rushing, they spend between five days and a month here during the summer".

Now, on the other hand, "the cancellations are total" because the tourist is looking for "safety" and the travelers "do not go to places where they think they do not feel safe and the fire, of course, does not convey precisely that and what the tourist wants is have fun and don't stay on alert or afraid.

recognizes that the consecutive fires in a period of less than a week and in the three main tourist centers in the north of Extremadura "is doing a lot of damage to the sector" and "is also producing a very strong emotional mark on the owners of the rural houses ", which had begun to recover after two "very hard" summers marked by the pandemic.

"Some tourists call to ask how the fire is and if it affects a lot, but most cancel," says

, who calculates millionaire losses this summer due to the cancellation of reservations due to fear of fires in areas where tourism rural represents 70% of the accommodation offer.

"And we fear even the worst in the coming days as the fire continues to come out in the news..."

In addition, travelers no longer plan their vacations with so much time, points out this expert, and each time they decide at the last minute, "and that will also take its toll, because those people will have decided these days, when checking what is happening, not come here, because they don't find out very well from the media about the specific areas that are affected".

The profile of the tourist who comes to this area of ​​Extremadura does so to enjoy nature,

points out , and not to make cultural visits: "They come to relax in an area where temperatures, except this summer, tend to be more benign and enjoy the wonders of these places".

In any case, as

, president of the

points out, for example in this region -the first to burn- there is a total of 500 km2 of extension, 44 arcades and 26 natural pools.

"A part has been burned, yes, but minimal, and there is still much to enjoy."

Paredes asks for "solidarity" so that the fires do not become, as it seems, an economic ruin for the province of

, where more than 50% of tourist income depends on the summer season.

VISIT OF PEDRO SANCHEZ

Taking advantage of the fact that a visit to

had been organized for this Monday to inaugurate the new rail service in this community, in whose invitations to the event it was first sold as the new

for

, although later the Government corrected itself in the face of criticism to call the event "the first phase", with some unfinished works, without electrification and where the train (

) runs through the incomplete section in Extremadura at 89 km/h., the Government announced that Pedro Sánchez will visit the

area affected by the fires in the morning.

Specifically, he will do it at the forward command post in the port of

and then he will move to

, where an improvised visit has been made to the land where the future car battery gigafactory will be built.

That will be in the morning, in the afternoon, with the presence of King Felipe VI, the inaugural act of the train is maintained, despite strong criticism and when Extremadura burns, in the province of

, on all four sides.

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