Last Thursday,El Saler experienced one of the worst fires in its history: 37 hectares of the Devesa Natural Park were scorched, residents of the town center were evacuated, and there were losses to the area’s biodiversity that will take decades to recover. Two agonizing days during which Valencia’s “lung” was severely affected, but the fire was finally brought under control, and today the area is returning to“normal.”
As of midnight today, traffic has resumed on the CV-500 and CV-401 highways, which connect the city to El Saler, El Palmar, and El Perellonet. In addition, public transportation to the affected areas has also resumed : EMT lines 24 and 25 are once again operating normally.
The Valencia City Council has reported that the beaches and access to restaurants in the coastal area are once again open to the public. Access to the natural park is open to the general public, but access to the forested areas of La Devesa is not permitted so as not to hinder the work of firefighters.
Law enforcement agencies continue to carry out firefighting, surveillance, and investigative operations. Local authorities reported early on that the fire had been set intentionally, and subsequent investigations have confirmed this.
Investigations are currently underway to gather evidence and clues as to how this occurred and who might be responsible for this catastrophe.
