Guadalajara aggravates the emergency due to fires while Zaragoza begins the return of evacuated residents

The evolution of large forest fires leaves two completely different scenarios in the country this Monday. While the fire affecting the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara continues to gain surface area and forces the expansion of evacuations, the fire declared in the Zaragoza region of Cinco Villas has entered a stabilization phase that will allow the progressive return of part of the displaced population.

In Castilla-La Mancha, the fire has already burned more than 26,000 hectares and has become, as explained by the regional president, Emiliano García-Page, the largest recorded by surface area in the history of the autonomous community. The perimeter of the fire already reaches about 120 kilometers and during the night it advanced about ten kilometers, which forced new evacuations to be ordered and emergency alerts to be sent through the ES-Alert system.

With the latest evacuation orders, 28 towns are already affected and about 1,200 people have had to leave their homes. In addition, several municipalities remain confined and numerous roads are cut or with restrictions while extinction teams continue to work in the face of weather forecasts that could complicate the situation again during the afternoon.

Aragon begins to recover normality

On the other hand, the Cinco Villas fire maintains a favorable evolution after having affected more than 14,000 hectares. The improvement of conditions has allowed the return of evacuated residents from Malpica de Arba, Luesia and Uncastillo to be authorized, while authorities hope that Asín and Orés can be reopened in the coming hours once security reviews are completed.

Despite the stabilization of the fire, the Government of Aragon will keep level 2 of the Special Civil Protection Plan activated until all those displaced can return to their homes. In addition, emergency services continue to evaluate the state of infrastructures, roads and livestock farms affected by the fire, while the Military Emergency Unit has begun its withdrawal from the operation to reinforce work in Guadalajara, where the situation remains the most worrying.