The fire that broke out on Wednesday in Burgohondo (Ávila) has forced the evacuation of 1,500 people in a rural tourism complex and an urbanization in the municipality of El Tiemblo, due to the “virulent” advance of flames at a speed of 3 kilometers in 40 minutes.
The data has been provided from the area by the territorial delegate of the Junta in Ávila, José Francisco Hernández, along with the president of the regional government, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, and the general director of Civil Protection, Virginia Barcones, who have highlighted the “unity” of all administrations, while also emphasizing that the measures adopted aim to save lives.
The forest fire in the Ávila municipality of Burgohondo has forced the activation of the ES-Alert system to ask residents of Burgohondo, Navaluenga and El Tiemblo to remain confined to their homes and follow the instructions of the authorities and the Civil Guard at all times. In addition, the evacuation of the El Burguillo campsite and the rural houses of Las Cruceras and La Rinconada has been ordered.
In addition to the evacuations, including two campsites and a rural tourism complex, and the confinement of Burgohondo, Navaluenga and El Tiemblo, the flames have entered the Iruelas Valley Natural Reserve, one of the most unique areas in the province, home to one of Europe’s main black vulture colonies.
Asked about it, Hernández confirmed not only that the fire has reached this natural area, but that “it has practically been devastated”, due to the speed of the flames of this fire “so virulent that it has practically exceeded the extinction capacity”.
According to the territorial delegate of the Junta, the work of the extensive operation deployed in this area of the province of Ávila, close to the Community of Madrid, has a “ten-kilometer lead” over the head of the fire, considering that “it is moving very fast”.
For his part, the president of the Junta de Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, has called for “unity and prudence” in the face of this “important” forest fire and has urged the population of the affected municipalities to follow the instructions of the authorities at all times.
The president has addressed a message of “caution” to the residents of municipalities such as Navaluenga, Burgohondo, El Tiemblo and their annexes, asking them to heed the instructions of the emergency services to ensure their safety.
Alert Activation
The 112 Emergency Center of Castilla y León has announced the activation of the alert after 5:45 PM, following a day in which the fire, which originated at 1:02 PM and was declared with Potential Severity Index 2 (IGR-2), has continued to advance.
The warning has been sent by the Emergency Coordination Center of the Junta de Castilla y León to the affected populations. In the case of Navaluenga, the front of the flames was around 3:00 PM about 1,500 meters from the urban center, as explained by the territorial delegate of the Junta in Ávila, José Francisco Hernández.
The El Tiemblo City Council has specified that the confinement is preventive and will be maintained “until further notice” to protect the population from the possible arrival of smoke and ashes and, at the same time, facilitate the work of the extinction teams.
Authorities recommend remaining inside homes with doors and windows closed, avoiding unnecessary travel, not approaching areas affected by the fire, and keeping access roads clear to allow emergency vehicles to pass. They also ask not to call 112, the Local Police or the City Council to request information, except in the case of a real emergency, and to exclusively follow communications disseminated through official channels, avoiding sharing rumors or unverified information.
112 also reminds citizens who receive the ES-Alert message not to contact the emergency service and to limit themselves to following the instructions of the authorities.
In addition to the preventive confinement, the fire has forced the evacuation of the El Burguillo campsite and the rural houses of La Rinconada and Las Cruceras.
