Regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso has requested tonight the activation of operational situation 3 of national interest given the evolution of the three forest fires simultaneously affecting the Madrid region, Castilla-La Mancha, and Castilla y León. The emergency, with fires beyond extinction capacity and more than 10,000 Madrid residents evacuated, has exceeded the autonomous community’s response capacity, so the central government would assume command and coordination of operations through the Ministry of Interior and the Directorate General for Civil Protection and Emergencies.
The region is experiencing a critical situation due to the simultaneity and extreme severity. In the Community of Madrid, the fires of Villa del Prado, affecting Aldea del Fresno, and San Martín de Valdeiglesias remain active, originated by a vehicle set on fire on the M-501 road and also affecting Pelayos de la Presa. Added to these is the fire started this Saturday in Almorox (Toledo), which reactivated at noon and also threatens the Madrid territory.
The Government delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín Aguirre, questioned tonight the request of the regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, for the declaration of emergency level 3 of national interest due to the severity and simultaneity of the fires active in three communities. “They have to explain and justify that request,” said the delegate, expressing his confidence that the Community will provide that documentation in the coming hours so that it can be evaluated.
The three fires present an advance potential that exceeds the extinction capacity of emergency services. Furthermore, the evolution of the fire declared in Burgohondo (Ávila) is concerning, as it is expected to impact the Community of Madrid in the coming hours due to adverse weather conditions.
More than 10,000 people have had to be evacuated in the municipalities of Villa del Prado, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa, and Aldea del Fresno. Several nursing homes and urbanizations have been evacuated, and Summa has set up a command post to assist the evacuated residents. More than 270 professionals are working on the ground with 40 ground resources, including personnel from the Madrid Community Firefighters, the Madrid City Council, and the Military Emergency Unit (UME), deployed in the different hotspots to protect lives and property and try to contain the advance of the flames.
The Minister of Interior is heading this Thursday night to the Advanced Command Post located in the Madrid town of Cenicientos to monitor the evolution of the fires. Authorities have warned that high temperatures and wind gusts expected in the coming hours could complicate extinction efforts.
The forest fire declared this afternoon in the Madrid town of Villa del Prado has forced the evacuation of the population of the municipality of Aldea del Fresno -3,500 inhabitants, according to the National Institute of Statistics- to the town of Villamanta, according to Emergencias Comunidad de Madrid 112.
The Madrid 112 Security and Emergency Agency (ASEM 112) has sent an ES-Alert message to the residents of Aldea del Fresno requesting their evacuation to the town of Villamanta, due to the evolution of the forest fire in its vicinity. This evacuation order also affects the AMAM Picadas and San Juan Bautista residences.
A total of 18 units are working in the operation, comprising personnel from the Madrid Community Firefighters, Forest Firefighters, Forest Agents, and the Military Emergency Unit (UME), with the aim of controlling the advance of the flames.
Summa has set up a health post in Villamanta, located next to the town’s sports center, where residents of Aldea del Fresno evacuated due to the Villa del Prado fire are being rehoused. They have a doctor, nurse, and basic life support. Part of the 80 users of the La Fresneda nursing home and another 70 from the San Juan Bautista residence, both in Aldea del Fresno, who have been evacuated by ambulances, will be attended there.
As a consequence of the fire, the M-507 road towards Navalcarnero and the N-403 road towards Toledo remain closed to traffic, at the intersection between both routes.
This fire, -independent of the one originated in Almorox (Toledo) on Wednesday- was declared this Thursday in the Madrid municipality of Villa del Prado and has forced the activation of the ES-Alert warning system to initially ask the population near the affected area to remain confined to their homes until further notice. The Madrid 112 Security and Emergency Agency (ASEM112) asked residents to keep doors and windows closed and avoid going outside while fire extinction efforts continue.
At that first moment, the evacuation of the AMAM Picadas Residential Home Center in Aldea del Fresno was ordered. The ES-Alert was also sent to the population near the Caravan Garden urbanization, due to the evolution of the Villa del Prado fire. Those affected were asked to leave the area and head towards the urban center of Aldea del Fresno, the town now ordered to be evacuated.
The second major fire in the Community of Madrid started this afternoon in San Martín de Valdeiglesias after a vehicle caught fire around 3:30 p.m. on the M-501 road and the flames spread to the nearby mountain, according to eyewitness sources and confirmed by Emergencias 112 Comunidad de Madrid.
Personnel from the Madrid Community Fire Department have been dispatched to the scene and continue working to control the fire. The fire has spread along Camino de las Navas towards the municipality of Pelayos de la Presa.
Due to this fire, the Community of Madrid has also sent another ES-Alert message to the population of Pelayos de la Presa, including the urbanizations, asking them to go to the urban center due to the proximity of the San Martín de Valdeiglesias forest fire.
As a preventive measure, residents of the López Rumayor nursing home remained confined while extinction efforts were underway. Finally, it was necessary to proceed with their evacuation to the San Martín de Valdeiglesias sports center after the flames approached the facility.
In addition to these two fires, the Villa del Prado fire remains active, which has caused the evacuation of the El Encinar del Alberche urbanization and has burned at least ten houses.
