The forest fire in the Sierra Oeste of Madrid remained without flare-ups during the night, according to the Emergency Service 112 of the Community of Madrid on Wednesday. The firefighting teams continue working to consolidate the fire perimeter and strengthen its favorable progress. During the early hours, firefighters from the Community of Madrid, Forest Firefighters, and Forest Agents focused their efforts on extinguishing hot spots to prevent reactivations of the fire. Extinguishing work continues to control active fires in the Community of Madrid, Ávila, Toledo, Castellón, and Almería, coinciding with the start of a new heat wave, while some of the evacuees in municipalities affected by the fire begin to return to their homes. Tens of thousands of residents from 15 municipalities in Ávila and Madrid have returned home. Also, 9,000 inhabitants from Castellón and 6,000 from 11 municipalities in Toledo have returned.
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Six intercity bus lines in Madrid return to normal after the situation improves
The Community of Madrid has restored the usual service of intercity lines 541, 547, 548, 551, 655, and 669A, following the improvement of the situation caused by the forest fires. This means Villamanta, Pelayos de la Presa, Navas del Rey, Cadalso de los Vidrios, and Cenicientos once again have all their usual connections, according to the Regional Transport Consortium on X.
In Navalagamella, service is also partially restored, with lines 642 and 669A already operating, while line 645 remains suspended.
Only five roads remain closed in the Community of Madrid after the fire situation improves
The improvement in the fire situation has allowed reopening most of the affected road network in the Community of Madrid. According to the latest update from the Ministry of the Interior, as of 7:30 this Wednesday, only five roads remained closed: the M-539 between Robledo de Chavela and El Quexigal; the M-512 between Robledondo and Robledo de Chavela; the M-521 between Fresnedillas de la Oliva and Robledo de Chavela; the M-537 in Robledo de Chavela; and the M-957 between San Martín de Valdeiglesias and the Costa de Madrid urbanization.
Outside Madrid, the Ministry of the Interior keeps 15 roads closed in the province of Ávila, including the N-403, CL-501, and several regional roads around Cebreros, Burgohondo, Casavieja, El Hoyo de Pinares, Mijares, and Sotillo de la Adrada; two roads in the province of Toledo — the CM-5006 and CM-5053, both in La Iglesuela del Tiétar —; and seven roads in the province of Castellón, affected by the Vall d’Uixó fire, including the CV-200, CV-203, CV-205, CV-219, CV-223, CV-2261, and CV-230.
Aerial resources join the Vall d’Uixó fire after a productive night
Aerial resources have already joined early efforts to extinguish the forest fire still uncontrolled in Vall d’Uixó, according to the Provincial Fire Consortium of Castellón, which highlights the productive advances made by ground resources during the night.
Currently, work is underway around the entire perimeter, about 75.5 kilometers, of the fire that has already devastated about 10,000 hectares since last Saturday and has evacuated about 10,000 people from around fifteen municipalities in the interior of Castellón, near the Sierra de Espadán natural park.
Firefighters’ work is currently focused on the sectors of Alfondeguilla, Eslida, and Tales-Alcudia de Veo, where yesterday afternoon flare-ups occurred that could not be fought from the air until 5:00 p.m. due to the thermal inversion that had occurred throughout the morning and until almost mid-afternoon.
During the night, the work has been positive, with the use of controlled burns and direct attack, according to the Consortium, which highlights that this Wednesday they face a new day “with a lot of work ahead for more than 600 ground personnel and aerial resources.”
A new Cecopi meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. at the Vall d’Uixó Advanced Command Post, after which the latest updated data will be provided. (Efe)
New forest fire stabilized in Boborás (Ourense)
The forest fire that has affected the Salceda area in the parish of Cameixa, municipality of Boborás in Ourense, since Tuesday night, was stabilized around 1:00 a.m. this Wednesday, according to sources from the Ministry of Rural Affairs.
This new forest fire was declared around 11:00 p.m. Tuesday and is the fourth recorded this summer in the municipality of Boborás. One agent, two brigades, and two fire engines are working on its extinction.
Residents near the fire site report that the origin could be the fall of a pine tree on a power line.
The flames also reached the forest on Tuesday night in another fire that started from an uninhabited house in the parish of Moreiras, also in Boborás. In this case, the fire was extinguished after midnight, according to municipal sources.
Last Monday, near the train tracks, another forest fire affected the parish of Xurenzás, and it is being investigated whether it was caused by a passing train. Eleven days ago, another fire in the same parish was extinguished after burning 19 hectares, including the Xurenzás hillfort.
On the night of June 13, another fire was declared near houses, which led to a level 2 emergency being declared as a precaution due to its proximity to the Vecoña nucleus in the parish of Moreiras. This fire was declared extinguished after four days; it was caused by lightning and burned 277.58 hectares, of which 210.19 were scrubland and 67.39 were forested. (EP)
Vall d’Uixó fire advances uncontrolled with flare-ups but fewer confinements
The forest fire declared last Saturday in Vall d’Uixó (Castellón) faces its fifth day of fighting this Wednesday against a fire still uncontrolled after devastating 10,000 hectares and suffering several flare-ups yesterday, although it also allowed partial lifting of confinement in three municipalities.
Aerial resources are expected to take off early for control and extinguishing efforts, although they could not do so until the afternoon in the last two days due to weather conditions and thermal inversion that prevented fighting flames and smoke from the air.
This situation caused new evening flare-ups on Tuesday in areas such as Artana and the Alcudia de Veo-Tales axis, which could not receive aerial drops until 5:00 p.m.
The fire perimeter is currently estimated at 75.5 kilometers, and about 10,000 people remain evacuated. Last night, confinement was lifted in the urban centers of La Vilavella (completely) and Betxí and Onda (partially, pending several urbanizations).
A new Cecopi meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. at the Vall d’Uixó Advanced Command Post (PMA), after which the latest updated data will be provided on a fire that is already becoming one of the most serious in recent years in the Valencian Community. (Efe)
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Forest fires
How children experience evacuations during the Madrid fire
A team from EL PAÍS visits the sports center in Boadilla del Monte, where the City Council has made various games and activities available for the little ones.
You can watch the full video here
The fire in Madrid remains without flare-ups during the night
The forest fire in the Sierra Oeste of Madrid remained without flare-ups during the night, according to the Emergency Service 112 of the Community of Madrid in an update shared on X this Wednesday. Firefighting teams continue working to consolidate the fire perimeter and strengthen its favorable progress.
During the early hours, firefighters from the Community of Madrid, Forest Firefighters, and Forest Agents focused their efforts on extinguishing hot spots to prevent reactivations of the fire.
chefs
“Today more than ever I know why I always wanted to be a chef.” The hospitality sector in Ávila and Madrid focuses on feeding people evacuated by the fires
“On Thursday, I opened the kitchen door after service, saw the smoke clouds, and called World Central Kitchen (the NGO of José Andrés that brings food to people amid disasters).” This is how Carlos Casillas, the youngest chef to win a Michelin star in 2023 with his restaurant Barro in Ávila, tells it. “I had collaborated with WCK before, but before they confirmed, we were already preparing 700 dinners because they were needed. Quickly, villages began to be evacuated, the need increased, and we started managing food orders. From Friday until today, we have served more than 18,000 meals,” he says. To carry this out, he reorganized his restaurant: he closed services from Thursday to Sunday and only served meals on the weekend to accommodate existing reservations. “Since then, the whole team has been working nights, doing shifts. And I am in all of them.”
You can read the full information here
Fires keep 30 roads closed in Spain after several reopenings in Madrid
Active forest fires in several parts of Spain keep a total of 30 roads closed in the provinces of Ávila, Castellón, Madrid, Toledo, and León, according to the latest data updated at 1:00 a.m. this Wednesday by the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT).
The number has decreased considerably following the progress of the de-escalation in the Community of Madrid, where circulation has been restored on a dozen roads.
Of the 17 roads initially closed in Madrid, only five remain closed: the M-512 between Robledondo and Robledo de Chavela; the M-521 between Fresnedillas de la Oliva and Robledo de Chavela; the M-537 in Robledo de Chavela; the M-539 towards El Quexigal; and the M-957 between San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Costa de Madrid. Main roads such as the M-501 or M-507 have already reopened.
In the province of Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha), the situation remains stable after the fire emergency was downgraded to level 2, although the CM-5006 and CM-5053 remain closed to traffic in both directions at La Iglesuela del Tiétar.
The impact remains on 14 roads in the province of Ávila: AV-502, AV-503, AV-504, AV-512, and AV-562 around Cebreros; AV-561 in El Hoyo de Pinares; AV-901 and AV-902 in Burgohondo; AV-904 in Guisando; AV-P-310 in Hoyo de la Guija; AV-P-703 in Casillas; AV-P-705 in Mijares; CL-501 in Santa María del Tiétar; and N-403 between La Atalaya and Las Cruceras.
In Castellón, eight roads remain impassable: CV-200 in Aín, CV-203 in Caudiel, CV-205 in Tales, CV-215 in l’Alcúdia de Veo, CV-219 in Eslida, CV-223 in Nules, as well as CV-2261 and CV-230 in Vall d’Uixó.
Finally, in the province of León, the LE-451 road between Paladín and Escuredo remains closed. (Efe)
Forest fire in Lucena del Puerto (Huelva) extinguished
Personnel from the Andalusian forest fire fighting device, Plan Infoca, declared the fire in the Los Vuelos area of Lucena del Puerto (Huelva) extinguished in the early hours of this Wednesday.
According to Infoca, the fire was declared extinguished at midnight after technicians confirmed there was no possibility of reactivation.
On Tuesday afternoon, the fire was already declared stabilized, and aerial resources working in the affected area were withdrawn. Initially, a medium-heavy helicopter, a ground-loading plane, 18 ground personnel, and a fire truck were activated.
This is the second fire recorded this week in the town, after the one on Monday in the Buenavista area, which was extinguished several hours later. (Efe)
Forest Fires
Casavieja, the Ávila town surrounded by fire: “The flames came down like tongues of fire down the mountain”
Casavieja is an island within a forest completely devastated by the largest fire in Spain’s history, which has already burned more than 77,000 hectares across Ávila, Toledo, and Madrid. The urban area of this Ávila town has escaped the flames but has lost much of its mountain range, which now looks like a black wall behind the houses. “The flames came down like tongues of fire down the mountain, and in less than six hours, they were at the town’s gates,” recalls Isabel Jiménez, a resident and resin collector. She managed about 3,500 pines on the outskirts of the town and extracted resin from all the trees. All have burned.
You can read the full information here
fires
A 9/11 firefighter in the Mediterranean: the volunteer brigade on the front line of the fires
Twenty-five years ago, Adam Lake participated in rescue efforts after the New York Twin Towers attacks. There, he lost 11 colleagues from his unit. Now, 6,200 kilometers from the U.S. city, this retired firefighter puts on his fireproof pants and jacket, adjusts his boots, and grabs his gloves and helmet. He has lived in Jávea (Alicante) for two years. Alongside him, three other volunteers — an Englishman, a Colombian, and an Irishman — finish gearing up before getting into the vehicle to patrol the municipality. It is Wednesday, July 15, and one of the hottest days of the summer so far. The fire risk alert is extreme, and they patrol daily.
You can read the full information here
Forest fires
The Vall d’Uixó fire devastates 10,000 hectares and keeps 10,000 people evacuated in the interior of Castellón
The forest fire declared last Saturday in Vall d’Uixó (Castellón) remains active and uncontrolled this Wednesday after burning about 10,000 hectares with a perimeter of 75.5 kilometers. The Generalitat decreed on Tuesday night the lifting of the full confinement of La Vilavella and most of the municipalities of Betxí and Onda, all located on the slopes of the Sierra de Espadán, outside the natural park boundaries.
You can read the full information here
Good morning. We start the live narration of the latest news on the fires ravaging Spain this Wednesday, July 29. The fires that have devastated Ávila and Madrid remain active but are beginning to give a respite that has allowed the relocation of tens of thousands of residents from 15 municipalities. Also, 9,000 inhabitants from Castellón and 6,000 from 11 municipalities in Toledo have returned home.
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