The wildfires in Villa del Prado, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, and Almorox (Toledo) have put the Community of Madrid on alert, with over 10,000 evacuated and the activation of operational situation 3 of national interest.
The three wildfires ravaging the southwest of the Community of Madrid have forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from the municipalities of Villa del Prado, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa, and Aldea del Fresno. The regional government has reported that the fires, which started this Thursday, have a "potential for spread with no extinguishing capacity" and has requested the activation of operational situation 3 of national interest.
The Minister of Environment, Agriculture, and Interior, Carlos Novillo, explained that "we have a situation that affects the safety of thousands of Madrilenians who are currently evacuated." The active fires are those in Villa del Prado, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, and Almorox, the latter in the province of Toledo but directly impacting the region. Additionally, there is the fire in Burgohondo (Ávila), which is expected to affect the Community of Madrid in the coming hours due to weather conditions.
More than 270 professionals are working in the area, with 21 vehicles and 90 personnel in Villa del Prado, 17 vehicles and 65 personnel in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, and two sections of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) with 40 units each in San Martín, plus another section of the UME with another 40 in Villa del Prado.
The Community of Madrid is maintaining constant monitoring of residences and social care centres in the affected areas. The San Juan Bautista elderly residence in Aldea del Fresno, with 70 residents, has been evacuated to Villamanta, from where their transfer to the Parque de los Frailes residence in Leganés is being organised. The 77 users of the private residence La Fresneda and the 78 residents of the AMAN Picadas centre for people with intellectual disabilities have also been evacuated to the Villamanta sports centre.
In San Martín de Valdeiglesias, the users of the private López Rumayor residence are staying at the municipal sports centre, and the eight residents with the highest degree of fragility will be transferred to a public residence of the Madrid Social Care Agency (AMAS). The AMAS elderly residence, with 86 non-dependent users, and the centre for severely affected people with disabilities, with 28 residents, are prepared for a possible evacuation if necessary.
In Villa del Prado, the elderly residence has taken in four elderly individuals from outside to spend the night in its facilities. In Cenicientos and Cadalso de los Vidrios, the residences are not presenting problems at the moment.
Authorities recommend that residents of the affected areas follow the instructions of emergency services and stay informed through official channels. Adverse weather conditions, with high temperatures and wind, are expected to complicate firefighting efforts in the coming hours.
