The fire declared in the area of Los Enebrales, in Almorox (Toledo), has left several days of uninterrupted work until it was controlled on Sunday morning and extinguished in the afternoon, after an evolution marked by the risk of fires due to wind and difficult terrain.
During the operation, the following were recorded: road closures, preventive evictions and a broad mobilization of resources from Castilla-La Mancha, the Community of Madrid, and the Ministry for Ecological Transition, with an estimated affected area of ​​around 500 hectares.
Origin and evolution of fire
The fire was detected on Thursday at 14:25 p.m. thanks to a tip-off from a private individual. Within a few hours he moved through an area of fine grass and scrubland, favored by gusts of wind that complicated the initial extinction efforts, an example of the current situation and risks that teams face.
Already at dawn, the situation forced the emergency to be raised to operational level 1 already ordered preventive evacuations, although those responsible for the device insisted that there was no direct risk to homes or infrastructure.
With the arrival of Friday and the improvement in visibility, the air resources were reactivated and the most active front, the one advancing towards Paredes de Escalona, ​​was reinforced. Forward Command Post (FCP) was installed at the Almorox football field to coordinate the actions. This coordination recalls other rescue operations of great deployment.
By Friday evening, the fire was able to descend to level 0 due to the favorable evolution, although surveillance was maintained for possible reactivations in hot zones of the perimeter.
Means deployed and coordination
Early on Friday they arrived to mobilize up to 18 air and 26 land vehicles, with a deployment that added personnel from Infocam, BRIF from the Ministry and endowments of the Community of Madrid.
The Madrid reinforcement included 20 firefighter and forestry brigade teams, plus two helicopters and a bulldozer to open firewalls, thus reinforcing the lines of defense on the most exposed flanks.
With the stabilization of the fronts, on Saturday the work focused on the auction and liquidation of hot spots, being able to gradually withdraw the air resources and maintain around 16 land media with 48 professionals to consolidate the perimeter.
At specific moments during the operation they came to act more than thirty media outlets and more than a hundred people in the field, reflecting the intensity of the effort and the coordination between administrations.
Impact on the area and condition of the roads
As a precautionary measure, the following were evacuated: around twenty people from a nearby rural accommodation, without personal incidents, and moved a dog colony from a center close to the front.
To facilitate access by emergency services, three roads were closed: M-544, TO-1455 and TO-1560, which connect Almorox with Cenicientos and surrounding towns.
From the first hour, the authorities asked respect the signs and indications of emergency teams, with the aim of avoiding additional risks and ensuring work on active fronts.
With the improvement of the situation, the evacuated people were able to return to their accommodations and the sections of road affected by smoke and firefighting efforts were gradually reopened.
Control, extinction and investigation
The technical direction of extinction indicated that the evolution was as expected As work progressed and conditions improved, lines could be secured and the fire carried to favorable areas.
On Sunday morning the fire was out controlled at 9:15 and, after the last refreshment and surveillance tasks, it was declared extinguished at 19:42, with patrols carrying out checks on the perimeter.
The operating balance amounts to 75 resources mobilized, 25 of them aerial, and around 310 effective between personnel from Castilla-La Mancha, the Community of Madrid, and the Ministry, in addition to teams that remained on guard during the last few hours.
Initial estimates place the affected area of ​​approximately 500 hectares, in an environment of grassland and scrubland with orography of hills and rock, factors that made the work of machinery and brigades difficult and show the consequences of forest fires in these ecosystems.
The causes are under investigation by the competent services; no hypothesis is ruled out while the evidence collected in the starting area is analyzed and a claim is made increase resources to prevent fires.
The episode leaves as a lesson the relevance of the inter-administrative coordination, rapid citizen detection and adaptation of the operation to a windy scenario, fine fuel and night reactivations, elements that set the pace of a fire that could be closed with the perimeter secured.
