Segorbe Wildfire Burns 423 Hectares and Forces Evacuation of 1,000 in Gátova

Evacuation orders in Gátova

On Friday afternoon, emergency authorities in the Valencian Community ordered the evacuation of approximately 1,000 residents and seasonal visitors from the municipality of Gátova. The town, located in the province of Valencia, has fewer than 500 registered inhabitants but experiences a population surge during the summer months. Emergency services initiated the measure after smoke from the Segorbe wildfire in neighboring Castellón blew toward residential areas. Authorities dispatched buses to transport residents lacking private transport to a municipal sports center in Bétera, while others relocated to primary homes or relatives' properties. The evacuation included 11 youth from a sheltered minors center and 14 dependent individuals who were transferred by medical transport to a care facility in Carlet.

Fire origins and weather conditions

The wildfire began on Thursday evening following dry thunderstorms across the Alto Palancia region. Data from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) showed a positive polarity lightning strike at 20:06:05 on Thursday, carrying an intensity of +37.6 kA. Weather stations in the area, such as Segorbe Mas de la Hoya, registered only 0.2 liters per square meter of rainfall during the storm. Although humidity exceeded 70% and temperatures remained below 20 degrees Celsius overnight, conditions deteriorated sharply after 14:00 on Friday. Wind gusts increased to over 30 kilometers per hour from the east-northeast, accompanied by temperatures reaching 29 degrees Celsius in Segorbe and 27 degrees Celsius in Gátova, accelerating the fire across the Sierra Calderona Natural Park.

Deployment and containment operations

By Friday evening, the burned perimeter extended to 11.4 kilometers, covering 423 hectares of forest land, up from 133 hectares at midday. In response to the intensifying flames near the Pico del Águila observatory, the Generalitat Valenciana raised the emergency level to Situation 2 under its Special Forest Fire Plan. The regional government requested the deployment of the Spanish Military Emergencies Unit (UME), deploying units from its Third Intervention Battalion stationed in Bétera. The operational response mobilized 340 personnel and 20 aircraft, including 110 firefighters and 11 aerial units contributed by the central government. Between 250 and 280 ground personnel operated in continuous shift rotations to stabilize the perimeter.

Inter-administrative coordination and response

Emergency leaders met at the Advanced Command Post in Gátova for an operational briefing alongside regional and national officials. The operational commander, José Melitón, stated that the wildfire remained out of control late Friday, but noted that teams were preparing machinery to attack two active flanks under expected overnight humidity improvements. Juanfran Pérez Llorca, President of the Generalitat Valenciana, praised the municipal cooperation between Gátova, Segorbe, Marines, and Olocau.

Many personnel are working, they are working in a very coordinated manner, and we hope to solve this fire as soon as possible.

Diana Morant, Spanish Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, visited the command post alongside Government Delegate Pilar Bernabé and Regional Emergencies Minister Juan Carlos Valderrama. Morant commended the prompt compliance of Gátova residents with evacuation orders, which ensured that no injuries were reported.

We have to take care of the emergency service. It is a vital public service for citizens.

Elsewhere in Spain, firefighting teams stabilized a 4,350-hectare wildfire in Pinofranqueado, Cáceres, after four days of containment efforts, while authorities brought a separate blaze in Huesca under control.