The fire in the Sierra Oeste of Madrid is advancing towards the north of the San Juan reservoir. The 900 residents of Valdemaqueda have been evacuated and Santa María de la Alameda has been confined due to smoke.
The forest fire that has been ravaging the Sierra Oeste of the Community of Madrid since last Thursday continued its advance on Monday towards the north of the San Juan reservoir, albeit at a slow pace. The flames have forced the evacuation of the 900 residents of Valdemaqueda and the confinement of the population of Santa María de la Alameda due to the presence of smoke. In total, 14 municipalities have now been evacuated and four are confined in the region.
The firefighting teams have focused their efforts during the day on the hotspots around the San Juan reservoir and the El Encinar del Alberche urbanisation in Villa del Prado. Special attention has been given to the Cofio River, both on the Madrid side and in Ávila, where progress has been halted. During the night, a team of 400 personnel will work to contain the advance line towards the north, before weather conditions worsen on Wednesday.
The Government delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, has stated that "all attention, concern, and dedication in the coming hours is focused on the north of the San Juan reservoir." Martín explained that the plan is to act intensively to contain the flames before 12:00 on Tuesday, when a change in wind direction is expected that could complicate operations. "With this, we would achieve a magnificent result," he added.
The front at the San Juan reservoir has affected urbanisations such as Costa de Madrid, which has already been evacuated, and the area of Bosque Encantado. The work carried out on Monday has allowed these fronts to be stabilised, which also posed a risk to the area of La Granjilla and the surroundings of the M-541 road. In San Martín de Valdeiglesias, teams have created a perimeter firebreak in the urbanisations of El Garnacho, La Solanilla, and El Mirador de la Solanilla to protect the population.
Meanwhile, the fire located in El Encinar del Alberche, in Villa del Prado, remains active. On Sunday, the fire reactivated in the Almorox area (Toledo) and jumped back to this urbanisation. Throughout Monday, the teams managed to perimeter the Almorox area in the Toledo fire. Action has also been taken on the AV-562 road between Cebreros and Robledo de Chavela to contain the advance of the flames.
In Castilla y León, where the fire has burned about 55,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of 40,000 people in 16 municipalities, efforts have focused on priority sectors such as Mijares and Gavilanes; Casillas, Sotillo de la Adrada, and Casavieja; and the eastern sector, at the San Juan reservoir and Cebreros. During the day, the confinement of Las Navas del Marqués was added. The Government delegate has highlighted that "the fears of a spread from Sotillo de la Adrada have been contained."
The weather forecast for Tuesday is not favourable. Although the wind will ease with gusts of between 15 and 20 kilometres per hour, temperatures will reach 38 degrees in the affected areas, with a yellow alert. For Wednesday, a deterioration is expected, with thermometers reaching up to 39 degrees and an orange alert. The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska, has emphasised that "today and tomorrow are important days, they are absolutely central. From Wednesday onwards, the forecasts are negative."
The evolution of the fire forced the evacuation of Valdemaqueda at 13:30 via the ES-Alert system, which sent a message to mobile phones in the area. Shortly after, around 20:00, Santa María de la Alameda was confined due to smoke. The fire is still far from urban centres, but its progression north has prompted these preventive measures.
Among the good news of the day, the El Escorial campsite has reopened, and intercity buses between Villamanta and Madrid have been restored. Additionally, the return of users from the local residence who had been evacuated has been authorised. Authorities will review the evolution of the fire on Tuesday to assess the lifting of other restrictive measures.
In total, between the two fires affecting the Community of Madrid and Castilla y León, around 80,000 hectares have burned. Evacuated residents have expressed their gratitude for the attention of volunteers and show their helplessness in the face of the magnitude of the fire. The coming hours will be decisive in controlling the flames before heat and wind further complicate the situation.
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