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Aldea del Fresno fire stabilised after burning 330 hectares
Aldea del Fresno is beginning to return to normal after an afternoon marked by fire, evacuations and traffic closures. The forest fire declared this Wednesday has been stabilised after provisionally affecting 330 hectares, and the Community of Madrid maintains operational situation 1 this Thursday while surveillance work continues.
The flames began at around 14:30 at kilometre 52 of the M-510 and initially required activation of level 2 of the Plan INFOMA. The proximity of the fire led to the evacuation of the Palomeque, Manga de la Pedrera and Carbajo housing developments, as well as several homes in María Elena.
As the situation improved, all confinement orders were lifted and evacuated people were able to return home. During the night, 17 crews remained on the ground putting out hot spots and reinforcing the perimeter to prevent the flames from gaining ground again.
The operation deployed 33 ground resources and nine aerial resources from Community of Madrid fire service, forest firefighters, forest rangers and the Military Emergency Unit. Five resources from the Castilla-La Mancha INFOCAM operation also took part.
Mobility was one of the most visible effects during the critical hours. Several kilometres of the M-510 and M-507 remained closed, complicating the usual connections between Aldea del Fresno, Villamantilla and other municipalities in southwest Madrid.
This Thursday, both sections are now open to traffic. Normal service has also returned on interurban buses: route 548 is running again and routes 541, 545, 546 and 547 have resumed their usual routes after the alterations and suspensions imposed during the fire.
On the ground, however, work continues. By mid-morning, ten ground crews and two helicopters on rotation were still operating to cool the hottest areas and consolidate a perimeter that still requires surveillance before the fire can be declared completely extinguished.
The scene has changed within a few hours: traffic has returned to the roads and residents have returned to the housing developments, but emergency teams are still working in the hills. The priority now is to prevent flare-ups and definitively close a fire that once again put the Sierra Oeste under strain in the middle of the summer season.