The Ávila National Police Academy has become a refuge for people forced to leave their villages by the virulent fires. Currently, the center houses 700 residents from seven villages, but the forecast, according to police sources told EL MUNDO, is to end today with 1,500 people, most of them relocated from other centers with much less capacity than the Police Academy and less comfort for those who have had to be evacuated.
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The characteristics of the facility – it is the center where future police officers are trained – offer reception conditions that facilitate the daily life of the evacuees, such as individual rooms or family rooms with private bathrooms and dining service. Each case is personalized, as indicated by the Police. Yesterday, Friday, dinner was served in the dormitories.
Today, Saturday, with the arrival of more people, lunch will be served in two of the six dining rooms available at the Academy. The oldest person housed is around 100 years old, while the youngest is a one-month-old infant. There are also numerous residents with mobility problems and more than 50 dogs, owned by the evacuees.
The 700 residents at the Academy come from El Barraco, El Tiemblo, Burgohondo, Hoyo de Pinares; Cebreros and Villanueva de Ávila, the villages most affected by the unstoppable advance of the flames. The 800 people expected today, Saturday, will arrive from various centers set up in the initial moments of the fires (sports centers, industrial warehouses) that do not have the necessary services for a more comfortable stay.
In addition, the Ávila Police Academy also houses volunteers from Galicia who have arrived in the area to collaborate in extinction efforts and Civil Protection personnel deployed to the field.
