A fire that started on a mountain near the Fagor Ederlan company in Eskoriatza forced the closure of AP-1 highway access for nearly five hours yesterday. Firefighters arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire, after which the Ertzaintza confirmed there was no risk of further incidents, and traffic on the highway returned to normal.
Around 3 PM, a column of smoke was spotted from a workshop near the Fagor Ederlan facilities, prompting a call to the Ertzaintza, as reported by its press department. The protocol was activated, and a detachment of firefighters was dispatched to the area to put out the fire. Ertzaintza officers also arrived at the scene and, to prevent major incidents, decided to close the access to the AP-1 at kilometer 123, specifically at the Eskoriatza toll. However, traffic on the highway remained open at all times. The incident did not affect the daily operations of Fagor Ederlan.
Finally, after 8 PM, firefighters declared their work complete, considering the fire under control—it had been nearly extinguished about an hour earlier. After notifying the present Ertzaintza officers, they proceeded to reopen the access roads to the AP-1 and restore normal traffic flow in the area.
Yesterday was marked by high temperatures across the region, with inland areas exceeding 42 degrees Celsius. The Euskalmet station in Arrasate, closest to the fire zone, recorded 41.8 degrees Celsius at 1 PM, just two hours before the smoke was sighted.
In addition to the high temperatures, Euskalmet issued a yellow alert for the risk of forest fires. The Basque Government's Department of Security also has the phase 1 emergency plan for forest fires active in Euskadi.
