The three fires in Madrid unite and the Ávila fire is one step away from joining after already devastating 15,000 hectares

The emergency caused by the fires in the center of Spain entered its most delicate moment this Friday. The three fires advancing through the west of the Community of Madrid have joined into a single front and the Burgohondo fire, in Ávila, is already very close to reaching the Madrid region.

Between both territories, around 15,000 hectares have burned and more than 20,000 people remain evacuated or confined. The wind, with gusts that can exceed 50 kilometers per hour, continues to push flames that are still advancing out of control.

The Government has declared the emergency of national interest in Madrid and Ávila. The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has taken over the direction of the crisis and the Military Emergency Unit (UME) has taken charge of the operational device.

A single fire advances through the Sierra Oeste

The fires originated in Almorox, Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias have ended up forming a single forest fire in the Sierra Oeste of Madrid, after several hours advancing separately at a short distance. The front has burned some 6,000 hectares and remains uncontained.

The National Emergency Monitoring and Coordination Center, dependent on the Ministry of the Interior, has used the 'ES-Alert' system to order the evacuation of Chapinería, Navas del Rey and Colmenar del Arroyo. It has also asked the inhabitants of San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa to gather inside their urban centers. Villa del Prado remains confined.

The Community of Madrid estimates that some 19,000 people are affected by evacuations or confinements. Eight nursing homes and centers for people with disabilities have been evacuated and nearly 1,500 vulnerable users remain under the supervision of social and health services.

The first inspections carried out in El Encinar del Alberche, in Villa del Prado, have located 43 destroyed homes and another 286 with damage of varying degrees. The teams will then have to examine the houses located in Pelayos de la Presa and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.

The fire has also reached the facilities of the San Juan reservoir and has destroyed its administration building. The Tagus Hydrographic Confederation has reinforced surveillance, although it maintains that the reservoir remains stable and under control.

The Ávila fire threatens to reach Madrid

The greatest concern is now focused on the Burgohondo fire. The flames have devastated nearly 9,000 hectares, outline a perimeter of about 71 kilometers, and have forced the evacuation of around 1,500 people.

Burgohondo, Navaluenga, El Tiemblo, and Cebreros remain confined by smoke, while evacuations continue in urbanizations, peri-urban areas, and tourist accommodations. Some 600 people have been housed in seven shelters, and 88 residents of elderly care centers have been transferred to other care resources.

The fire has crossed the Valle de Iruelas Natural Reserve, one of the most valuable ecological areas in Castilla y León and a refuge for one of Europe's main black vulture colonies. The operation is now working to stop its advance towards the Tiétar Valley and prevent it from reaching the large Madrid front.

"There's very little left before it joins with Madrid's. This is very bad news," warned the Government delegate in Castilla y León, Nicanor Sen. Authorities are preparing new preventive evacuations in anticipation of a possible entry of the flames into the Community of Madrid.

The Civil Guard has arrested one person and is investigating another for their alleged responsibility in the origin of the fire. The Nature Protection Service (Seprona) initially attributes the fire to a spark generated during the use of heavy machinery, despite the fact that such work was prohibited due to the high risk of fire. The proceedings will be sent to the court and the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Ávila.

Interior takes command and Europe sends four planes

More than 1,100 personnel and 225 ground vehicles from the UME are participating in the operation deployed between Madrid and Ávila, along with hundreds of Civil Guard agents, forest firefighters, regional services, and Civil Protection groups.

Spain has requested assistance through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. The European Commission has mobilized four Canadair planes, two from Greece and two from Italy, and has activated Copernicus satellite images to support the direction of the work.

Forecasts maintain during the afternoon gusts of wind between 50 and 60 kilometers per hour, temperatures above 30 degrees, and humidity below 30%. The operation concentrates its resources on containing the front, protecting threatened towns, and preventing the fires in Madrid and Ávila from becoming a single blaze.