News
Lorry loaded with electronic material catches fire on the M-50 and closes two lanes
A lorry loaded with electronic material intended for recycling caught fire this Thursday on the M-50 near Getafe and forced the closure of two lanes during firefighting work. The incident complicated traffic for hours on one of the main corridors in southern Madrid, although no one was injured.
The fire broke out around midday, near kilometre 41 and in the decreasing direction. The presence of the vehicle and the emergency operation caused lane narrowing and slow traffic while the Bomberos de la Comunidad de Madrid worked on the load.
The nature of the material made the intervention more laborious than extinguishing a conventional vehicle. Part of the load had fallen, burning, onto the road and needed to be cooled while teams tried to reach the hotspots still active inside the truck.
The firefighters chose to gradually empty the remains and transfer them to a tipper truck. This procedure allowed them to separate the material, locate hot spots, and apply water directly to elements that could continue burning inside the load.
At the same time, another team worked to cool the debris left on the asphalt. Cooling operations continued until it was confirmed there was no risk of the fire reigniting once most of the material had been removed.
Despite the dramatic column of smoke and the complexity of the operation, Emergencias 112 confirmed that there were no injuries. The main impact was on traffic, with two lanes occupied during the intervention and delays for those passing through Getafe on the ring road.
The incident also coincided with the final days of the rehabilitation works that this summer have caused night-time closures on various sections of the M-50 de Getafe. The scheduled work between kilometres 46 and 49 was due to continue until this Friday the 28th, with night-time diversions via service roads.
The scene on Thursday was unusual for a motorway: electronic waste spread across the asphalt, firefighters working piece by piece, and drivers moving along the available lanes. For those crossing the south of Madrid, a routine journey turned for a few hours into yet another unexpected congestion point.