The large forest fires are beginning to show signs of improvement in Ávila, Madrid, and Toledo, although extinction teams still face “very complex hours” after burning 77,000 hectares, with a perimeter of 280 km, and forcing the evacuation or confinement of nearly 90,000 people in the three provinces, while the fire in La Vall d’Uixò (Castellón) continues out of control. In the fires of Ávila, Madrid, and Toledo, there are 59,896 evacuated and 29,867 confined.
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The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, highlighted during a visit today to the advanced command post in Navaluenga (Ávila) that the evolution is “very positive” in controlling the fires in Ávila, Madrid, and Toledo, declared a national emergency, and that some outbreaks are already “consolidated.”
Good news
The UME reported, before noon, that the fronts in Madrid and Ávila were contained, although “active heads” remained
“Although the extinction teams face very complex hours,” Sánchez explained that, at this moment, work is being done to consolidate some areas where the fires could already be controlled.
For his part, Lieutenant Colonel Alfonso Arribas, of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), who directs the operational management of the fires in Ávila, Madrid, and Toledo, pointed out that extinction efforts face a “more favorable” day this Sunday to attack the flames and reduce the intensity of the outbreaks that still remain out of control. In fact, the UME reported, before noon, that the fronts in Madrid and Ávila were contained, although “active heads” remained.
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Similarly, the technical director of extinction for the Ávila fire, Pablo Montejo, believes that this Sunday opens “a small opportunity that has not existed on other days” due to the improvement in meteorological conditions; however, he asked to wait until the central hours of the day to check the evolution and warned that the period of greatest danger will last until 9 p.m.
Extinction efforts involve resources from Greece, Italy, Turkey, and Portugal, along with personnel provided by eleven autonomous communities and four city councils and local entities, according to sources from the Ministry of Interior.
The fires declared in Ávila and the Community of Madrid, which have spread to Toledo, have forced the evacuation of 39 municipalities: 16 in Ávila, 12 in Madrid, and 11 in Toledo. In addition, seven localities remain confined between the provinces of Ávila and Madrid, according to the latest data from the Interior Ministry.
Given the damage caused by the Ávila fire, the Junta de Castilla y León will request a declaration of a disaster zone and will appear as a prosecution in the procedure opened to investigate the origin of the fire, as announced by its president, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco.
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For his part, the Government delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, reported that the main concern this Sunday midday in the evolution of the fire is to control its western flank and prevent it from advancing north. Regarding the evolution of the Sierra Oeste de Madrid fire, the Government delegate explained that the eastern flank remains contained and is not advancing, and on the western flank, work continues to stop the fire after “extraordinary work was done last night to protect municipalities such as Cadalso de los Vidrios and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.”
Toledo
The Almorox (Toledo) fire is “stabilized,” which makes us “optimistic” in Castilla-La Mancha, said the government delegate in the region
Also “becoming very important,” according to Martín, are the works in the central area of the fire, which is located north of the San Juan reservoir. Martín assured that the priority now is also to prevent possible reactivations of fires due to variations that winds may have in the coming hours, which could complicate the situation north of the San Juan reservoir.
In this sense, the weather forecasts for today are good and will extend to Monday, which, according to Martín, provides a “wide window to work and definitively defeat this fire.”
Regarding the evacuated and confined municipalities, the Government delegate reported that the situation of each one is being evaluated and that each decision will be made prioritizing safety, so that when solid technical criteria exist to guarantee these safety conditions, decisions on evacuations and confinements can be modified.
Regarding the Almorox (Toledo) fire, the Government delegate in the region assured that the fire is “stabilized,” which makes them “optimistic” in Castilla-La Mancha. “We must be very cautious, and the technicians say it is stabilized, but not yet controlled,” he specified. After the Cecopi meeting in Navalcarnero (Madrid), it was decided to install an Advanced Command Post in La Iglesuela del Tiétar (Toledo), from where Castilla-La Mancha’s efforts regarding the province of Toledo will be coordinated.
On the other hand, the forest fires affecting different areas of Spain are causing the closure of 39 roads in six provinces, of which twelve are in Toledo, ten in Ávila, seven in the Community of Madrid and in Castellón, two in Guadalajara, and one in Huelva, according to data from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT).
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