Estepona residents say farewell to their military "heroes without capes"

ESTEPONA residents grouped together to bid farewell to the troops from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) who had been fighting the Sierra Bermeja fire

Estepona residents have bid farewell today, Tuesday, September 14, to the troops from the Military Emergency Unit (UME), who had been drafted in to help fight the Sierra Bermeja fire that was finally brought under control at around 6.45am this morning, after burning for almost a week, being lowered from level 2, down to zero, after a blaze that saw six municipalities evacuated in the process.

Rounds of applause and loud cheers met the convoy of military vehicles as they made their way out from the area, having participated since the weekend, along with the various other emergency services supplied by other autonomous communities, and those employed by Infoca, whose troops will remain at the scene for the time being.

Residents had gathered near to the roundabout at the exit of the Palacio de Congresos to wave the military convoy off, the location where the Advanced Command Post (PMA) had been set up to coordinate the operation to extinguish the fire, and one of them,  a lady called Maria Teresa, who quite aptly described them to Europa Press as “heroes without capes”.

“I have no words to say what happened here in Estepona. From the window of my house you could see the whole fire, the landscape of all the fire, and the planes passing over the balcony. Applauding is the least we can do for them. It has been a very big fire. These have been days of great stress, with great tension, because, in addition, we live very close to the field. It has been a very bad experience that, hopefully, will never be repeated again. They have left their skin and their lives”, as reported by laopiniondemalaga.es.

La @UMEgob ejemplifica lo necesario que es para la sociedad un ejército al servicio de la sociedad. Así despide Estepona a efectivos de la UME que han participado en las labores de extinción. Video @La_SERpic.twitter.com/1ziAUgrFOg

— Moeh Atitar مو (@guerraypaz) September 14, 2021

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