Wildfire in Cáceres stabilised after burning 1,352 hectares and forcing 800 to evacuate

Fire starts and spreads

The fire started when a truck caught fire on the A-66 motorway (Autovía de la Plata) at midday on Saturday, igniting a forest fire in the municipality of Casas de Millán, in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura. The flames spread quickly through dry vegetation, burning an estimated 1,500 hectares and a perimeter of 20 kilometres by Sunday morning. Later, after the fire was stabilised, the regional government reported a precise burned area of 1,352.22 hectares. Around 800 residents were evacuated from Casas de Millán and the hamlet of Grimaldo, a pedanía of Cañaveral.

A night of strong winds

Firefighters faced what officials described as a "very hard" night, as unexpected strong winds drove the fire until they subsided after 3:00 a.m. on Sunday. Abel Bautista, vice president and councilor of Presidency of the Junta de Extremadura, said the wind did not calm until past 3:00, which then allowed crews to cut off the head of the fire advancing toward Serradilla and the Monfragüe National Park, one of the region's most ecologically valuable areas.

“The wind calmed, that allowed us to attack the fire and cut off its head that was heading toward Serradilla and Monfragüe National Park.”

By Sunday morning, the fire was declared "en vías de estabilización" (on the way to stabilisation), with 70% of its perimeter contained. A force of 81 personnel and up to 12 aircraft were deployed. The remaining 30% of uncontained perimeter lay in a rocky, hard-to-access area that hindered heavy machinery.

Confinement and return

The first Cecop meeting on Saturday night maintained the evacuation order. The second, on Sunday morning, lifted the evacuation but imposed confinement on both towns to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles and prevent residents from checking on their orchards or olive groves. Bautista warned that the fire risk remained "very high or extreme" across much of Extremadura. The confinement was maintained through a third operational meeting at 14:00 and finally lifted on Sunday evening after the fourth meeting of the Centro de Coordinación Operativa (Cecop). At that point, the fire was declared stabilised, and the level 1 emergency of the Infocaex and Infoex plans was deactivated. All road and rail links, including the Monfragüe-Cáceres line, were reopened. After stabilisation, a reduced force of 46 personnel remained on site: seven ground forest fire units, two natural environment agents, and two extinction technicians, with support from the Guardia Civil and Cruz Roja.

Water and power

Electricity was restored to both towns, but drinking water remained cut off because firefighting aircraft were using local water sources for drops. Two authorised tankers of 11,000 and 25,000 litres, provided by the Consorcio MásMedio of the Diputación de Cáceres, were stationed in Casas de Millán (on Avenida de la Constitución) and near the elderly residence in Mirabel. The tankers were to remain in place until the mains supply was restored and water quality guaranteed. The Ayuntamiento de Cañaveral confirmed that Grimaldo did have water. Technicians from MásMedio were due to visit the area on Monday to inspect the water treatment plant (ETAP) that serves Casas de Millán, Grimaldo, and Serradilla, operated by Aqualia.

Investigation into possible arson

Bautista said that someone had "voluntarily and intentionally" set three fire points, possibly to protect an olive grove or property. He called the act "irresponsible" for endangering the entire firefighting operation. The Guardia Civil is investigating the points of origin.