The night has passed for the residents of Uncastillo as if they were days, in the plural, and no matter how much one tried to close one’s eyes, the images of the fire threatening and surrounding the town of the Cinco Villas were repeated over and over again. It is not surprising after yesterday they had to evacuate their homes while the news about the devastating fire declared in Orés on Wednesday at noon was only bad. Lola Pemán, a resident of the town, speaks to this newspaper from the home of a relative in Sádaba.
With his mobile phone and a change of clothes that he was able to take «in extremis» before evicting his house in Uncastillo as his only belongings, he says that the night has been «bad bad». «In the town everything is under control and the houses have been saved in some way. But the fire continues through the mountain and advances by leaps and bounds. There are many days left before it can be controlled. Now he is advancing towards Navarre… It’s a shame,» says Pemán.
Television, radio, mobile phones and all the means with which one can obtain information were few for news that arrived less quickly than the neighbors would like. «We know that the mayor is meeting in Farasdués with the rest of the mayors of the affected areas and we are waiting for them to tell us something. We don’t have any new news, but the fire is uncontrollable, we know that,» explains the neighbor.
«THE SADNESS AND PAIN OF SEEING YOUR PEOPLE LIKE THIS»
Lola spent yesterday afternoon at the Ejea de los Caballeros casino chatting with her neighbors and explained that tempers were «regular». He said that they have spent the night in the municipal pavilion of the capital of the Cinco Villas so that they would be more comfortable. «They were happy as much as possible because they are very well taken care of, they would give them dinner and everything. I know that some people who are a little more delicate were going to take a hotel, then those from the residence have been transferred to Zaragoza… Very well taken care of.»
As a councilor of the Uncastillo City Council, Lola’s idea is to go down to Ejea de los Caballeros to talk to her neighbors. Then he will move to Zaragoza to wait until he can return home. «I think it is going to be very long, I think that for four or five days nothing, they will not tell us to return. It’s a shame.»
The fire declared in the Cinco Villas is already one of the largest in Aragon in recent years. And, like any fire, it brings with it a generalized feeling: helplessness. «You don’t sleep at all because you are constantly thinking about the helplessness you have of not being able to do anything and the sadness and pain you feel to see your people like this. We saw the images and they are very hard, no matter how many troops there are, it is unstoppable. It’s a terrible shame,» Lola concludes.
