This allowed hundreds of evacuated residents to return home while firefighters worked to fully stabilize the situation.
The regional emergency manager Antonio Sanzas reported late Saturday that about 600 of nearly 1,500 people evacuated from the fire zone in Almeria province were allowed to return, as firefighters made significant progress in stopping the fire.
“The offensive carried out today and the stabilization of most of the perimeter allowed these measures to be taken and to continue moving, always with the utmost caution, towards a return to normal life,” said A. Sanzas in a statement released by the Andalusian regional government.
Better forecasts appeared as weather conditions improved – the wind weakened and humidity increased, allowing firefighters to directly extinguish the fire.
Justice Minister Felix Bolanos said on Saturday that firefighters took advantage of favorable wind and humidity conditions to approach controlling the forest fire.
The burned area is about 6,600 hectares, he said.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez plans to visit the fire-ravaged area on Monday.
Burned vehicles still stand on some roads where people were trapped as the rapidly spreading fire ravaged the area.
Officials report that 12 people have died but warn that the number of missing remains unclear until autopsies are performed and found bodies are identified.
Officials said many of the victims may be foreign nationals.
The identification process slowed because collecting DNA samples from relatives proved difficult, as family members are traveling to Spain from other countries.
Despite improving conditions, the Civil Guard planned to search the affected area again on Sunday to ensure no uncounted victims remained.
“The Civil Guard entered more than 250 homes to make sure there was nothing inside, and will now perform a final site check to be completely sure nothing else remains,” Civil Protection Secretary General Virginia Barcones told Spanish public broadcaster on Sunday.
