La Mierla wildfire burns 13,000 hectares in Guadalajara, 800 evacuated as blaze remains uncontrolled

Fire progression

The wildfire that ignited on Thursday 16 July in La Mierla, inside the Sierra Norte natural park in Guadalajara province, had consumed between 12,000 and 13,000 hectares by Sunday morning, according to the regional development ministry. The blaze remains at operational level 2 and is still not under control. During the night of 18 to 19 July, the fire advanced 14 kilometres, but ground crews managed to contain the flanks and prevent flames from entering any of the evacuated villages. Mercedes Gómez, the regional minister for sustainable development, stressed that no homes have been damaged.

We have been able to contain the fire and it has not entered any of the evacuated towns; no house has been affected by the fire.

The elite TED squad of the forest fire reinforcement brigades (BRIF) carried out a large backfire overnight from near La Mierla to the Beleña dam, a key manoeuvre to close off that sector. On Saturday, 25 aerial units and more than 500 personnel were deployed; by Sunday morning, 32 ground units and 204 people were working, with support from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) and Madrid's emergency services. The firefighting effort also includes bombers from the Guadalajara provincial council, the Community of Madrid, and the Madrid city council. A meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Centre (CECOPI) was held at 9:00 on Sunday, chaired by Gómez, to assess the situation.

Evacuations and impact

A total of 21 municipalities have been evacuated, displacing more than 800 people. The latest additions are Prádena de Atienza, Robledo de Corpes, Aldanueva de Guadalajara, and Naharros, whose residents were given time to leave before the fire approaches. Earlier, Bustares, Villares de Jadraque, Veguillas, and others were emptied; the towns of Hiendelaencina and La Nava de Jadraque were placed under confinement. Around 100 evacuees are staying at a shelter in the Humanes sports centre. The regional government has suspended several youth camps due to smoke and ash, and halted activity at a silica mine in Naharros. Firefighters also began removing flammable materials such as logs and curtains from around homes on Saturday evening. The socioeconomic impact on the area, which depends on primary sector and nature tourism, is described as severe.

We are establishing containment firebreaks to try to direct the fire, not let the fire direct us.

Political row over access

The leader of the opposition People's Party (PP) in Castilla-La Mancha, Paco Núñez, complained that he was denied entry to the advanced command post on Sunday morning. Núñez said he had travelled to Tamajón to coordinate support from PP mayors and wanted to offer assistance, but was turned away. He claimed that other mayors had been allowed in previously, and that the order to block him came only after he announced his visit.

Neither the minister nor Page were here. I don't know who was in charge. I just wanted to put the PP at the disposal of the advanced command post and thank everyone fighting the fire, but I couldn't do it in person.

The regional government responded that the command post is a restricted area, limited to coordination work. Núñez added that the mayor of Guadalajara, Ana Guarinos, had offered rest areas in the city for additional evacuees.

Recovery plan and historical parallel

Regional president Emiliano García-Page has announced that his government is already drafting an immediate recovery plan for the natural space and the affected communities. The plan aims to support residents who "are going to lose everything," according to Gómez, and the regional executive has asked the central government for support. The fire has now equalled the 2005 Riba de Saelices disaster, which also burned 13,000 hectares and killed 11 firefighters from the Cogolludo crew. That tragedy, which occurred on 17 July 2005, destroyed 10,000 hectares of woodland and 2,400 hectares of high ecological value in the Alto Tajo natural park. The current blaze broke out exactly 21 years later, in the same Sierra Norte region, and has already forced the evacuation of more than 800 people, compared to 500 in 2005. The recovery plan will address both environmental restoration and economic support for affected families.