The Military Emergency Unit (UME) has been activated, at the request of the Community of Madrid, due to the forest fire that originated this Wednesday afternoon in the town of Almorox (Toledo), which has caused the evacuation of the El Encinar del Alberche urbanization, the confinement of the Madrid municipality of Villa del Prado, and the closure of the M-507 towards Navalcarnero and the N-403 towards Toledo at the junction between both roads.
At 10:55 p.m., emergency officials from the Community and the Central Government are meeting at the Advanced Command Post in Cenicientos. The Minister of Environment and Interior, Carlos Novillo, and the Government delegate are present. Thanks to the work carried out by ground and air resources, a phase of controlling the flames could begin, according to sources from the Community of Madrid.
According to details from the regional government, the Madrid 112 Security and Emergency Agency (ASEM112) has sent an ES-Alert message this afternoon to the residents of Villa Del Prado, asking them to remain inside their homes until further notice, with doors and windows closed.
Likewise, a second ES-Alert message was sent around 8:30 p.m. to inform that due to the evolution of the fire near the El Encinar del Alberche urbanization, the inhabitants of Ribera del Alberche, Rincón del Alberche, and the campsite must go inside the town of Aldea del Fresno. Extreme caution has been requested during displacement due to poor visibility caused by smoke.
The Community of Madrid has activated Operational Situation 2 of the Civil Protection Plan against Forest Fires (INFOMA) due to the forest fire. 19 ground and air units of Firefighters and Forest Agents from the region have been deployed to the area. As reported by the Forest Fire Prevention and Extinction Service of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, nine ground resources and 42 personnel are also working on the fire, which has been raised to level 2. The evacuation of the El Pinar urbanization and the confinement of the El Romillo urbanization have been decreed.
Read more Chinese Geely reaches an agreement with Ford to produce cars at its Almussafes factory
The fire has forced the closure of the M-507 towards Navalcarnero and the N-403 towards Toledo at the junction between both roads, as indicated by Emergencias 112 of the Community of Madrid. For his part, the Government delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, has moved to the Advanced Command Post and has already contacted the mayors of Villa del Prado and Cadalso de los Vidrios by phone.
Through its social networks, the Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid (CRTM) has informed users that public transport is being affected due to the fire near the M-507. Interurban buses on Lines 545 and 547 only provide service up to the municipality of Villa del Prado. The CRTM has recommended planning trips and checking updated information before traveling.
At 10:30 p.m., air resources have been withdrawn, and ground units continue to work to stop the fire that is devouring a mass of vegetation composed of pines and broom.
