Almorox town hall urges calm as wildfire forces evacuations and road closures in Toledo

Call for calm and official information

The Almorox town hall on Sunday published several communications on social media asking residents to maintain calm and avoid spreading unverified information about the wildfire burning in the municipality's surroundings. The council stressed that a lack of new updates does not mean the fire is worsening, and it urged people not to be alarmed if no information is released for a period.

If at any moment there are no new updates, we should not be alarmed; in many cases, that means the situation remains stable and the teams continue working on the ground.

The council said it is relaying all official information received from emergency services and competent bodies, and it thanked the "enormous effort" of all personnel working "day and night" to protect people and the environment. It pledged to continue publishing all official updates as they are received.

Evacuations and road closures

The urbanizations of El Pinar and El Romillo were evacuated again on Sunday for safety reasons. Residents were taken to a shelter at the municipal sports centre in Escalona. The road towards El Pinar remains cut, and the N-403 highway is also closed to traffic. The town hall confirmed these restrictions are being maintained.

Firefighting operations

The INFOCAM plan reported that the fire showed "greater activity" in the Villa del Prado area of Madrid on Sunday afternoon, shortly after 17:00. The operational command maintained permanent monitoring and intensified work in that zone. As of late afternoon, one aerial unit, three ground units, and 20 personnel from forest brigades and environmental agents were deployed to the area. The fire remains active, and crews are working without rest, the council said.

Air quality and health precautions

Although Almorox has not received any official air quality restriction, the Directorate General for Environmental Quality of Castilla-La Mancha recorded elevated levels of particulate matter at monitoring stations in Toledo, Talavera de la Reina, and Los Yébenes on Sunday afternoon. The smoke plume from the fires caused the elevated readings, and the forecast indicates these conditions will persist for the next 12 hours.

The town hall appealed to "common sense" and recommended that people with respiratory problems, children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups avoid exposure to smoke. It also advised keeping windows closed if smoke reaches homes and refraining from intense physical activity outdoors in smoky areas.

These are preventive recommendations. Currently there is no official restriction on air quality. We will continue to inform citizens promptly if the competent authorities communicate any news.