The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, described this Saturday a situation of extreme seriousness in the fire affecting the southwest of the region and the province of Ávila, by assuring that the different fronts have practically joined and now behave as “one single”.
Ayuso explained that the fire has generated its own dynamics between the fronts of Madrid and Ávila, to the point of creating “a kind of own atmosphere” that alters the usual weather conditions and complicates the forecast for the coming hours. “It leads us to fear much worse situations in the coming hours,” she warned from Cenicientos, where the Command Post has also been evacuated.
An approximate perimeter of 20,000 hectares
The Madrid president has estimated the approximate perimeter of the fire at about 20,000 hectares, although she clarified that it is not yet a definitive figure because it will be necessary to rule out internal areas that have not been able to be assessed accurately.
This data reflects the magnitude of the fire, but also the complexity of measuring an emergency in full evolution. In large fires, the affected perimeter can include unburned areas within the surrounding zone, so the final burned area will need to be confirmed when technicians can safely access and complete the assessment on the ground.
“A totally unprecedented situation, never seen”
Ayuso has described the emergency as a “totally unprecedented situation, never seen”, both due to the territorial dimension of the fire and its behavior. The president has insisted that the fronts have acquired an extraordinary dynamic, with an interaction between fire, smoke, wind, and heat that complicates the work of the firefighting teams and raises the risk for nearby municipalities.
The seriousness is not only measured in hectares. Ayuso has emphasized the number of affected homes, the damaged land, and the pressure on communication routes, factors that turn this emergency into one of the most serious forest episodes faced by the Community of Madrid.
Evacuated the Command Post in Cenicientos
The evolution of the fire has also forced the evacuation of the Command Post installed in Cenicientos, a decision that reflects to what extent the advance of the fire and the conditions of the environment have compromised even the place from which the emergency work was coordinated.
The transfer of the coordination post allows for maintaining the safety of the teams responsible for directing the operation and guarantees the continuity of communications, decision-making, and resource distribution. In an emergency of this magnitude, protecting the command center is essential to continue organizing evacuations, road closures, air resources, firefighters, UME, Civil Guard, Civil Protection, and health services.
Ayuso asks not to approach the area
The president of Madrid has asked the public not to approach the area affected by the fire, because “the few roads that exist” must remain clear for emergency services and for evacuations that may be necessary in the coming hours.
The message aims to prevent movements of onlookers, family members trying to access on their own, or neighbors wanting to return early to evacuated homes. Each unauthorized vehicle can hinder the circulation of fire trucks, ambulances, patrols, heavy machinery, or outgoing convoys, especially in a territory with limited roads and reduced visibility due to smoke.
“Understanding and patience” in the face of a changing emergency
Ayuso has also conveyed a message of gratitude to the population affected by the emergency and has asked for “understanding and patience” while the firefighting and protection work in municipalities continues.
The president has assured that this citizen collaboration is key to overcoming an extremely difficult situation, marked by evacuations, lockdowns, road closures, and constant changes in the evolution of the fire. The priority, she has insisted, remains to protect lives and prevent the emergency from causing personal harm.
The next hours, watching the behavior of the fire
Ayuso's warning places the next hours as a critical moment for the evolution of the fire, especially due to the possibility that the atmosphere generated by the fire itself alters wind conditions and complicates the work of the teams on the ground.
Emergency services maintain vigilance over municipalities, roads, and isolated homes, while trying to contain a fire that, according to the president of Madrid, can no longer be analyzed as several separate hotspots, but as a large fire system with its own behavior.
The official recommendation remains clear: do not approach the area, follow the instructions of 112, Civil Protection, Civil Guard, DGT, municipalities and Community of Madrid, and do not return to any evacuated area until receiving express authorization.