Huelva wildfire stabilises as nearly 100 evacuated residents return home in Andalucía

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More than 500 personnel, including the military emergency unit, deployed to tackle the 5,000-hectare blaze in Villanueva de los Castillejos

Rafael Aguilar

Sevilla

The Andalusian regional minister for emergencies, Antonio Sanz, has announced that a forest fire in Villanueva de los Castillejos has been stabilised after burning more ... than 5,000 hectares.

The blaze, which broke out on Monday, also affected the neighbouring municipality of San Bartolomé de la Torre in Huelva.

The positive development allowed officials to downgrade the emergency response to level 1 and authorise the return of 96 evacuated residents.

Sanz said the downgrade marks the beginning of a "return to normality". He added that while local roads have reopened, rail traffic between Gibraleón and Calañas remains suspended pending a decision by rail infrastructure manager Adif.

According to the minister, the fire has entered a new phase with greater "security and guarantees," allowing crews to focus entirely on controlling and extinguishing the remaining flames.

Mr Sanz praised the 512 personnel mobilised to tackle the fire, including 250 troops and 80 vehicles from the Military Emergency Unit (UME), the Infoca wildfire service, Huelva firefighters, and the Civil Guard.

Overnight, Infoca deployed 265 professionals, 16 heavy fire engines, and specialist medical and analysis units. Fresh emergency crews from Córdoba, Málaga, and Cádiz also joined the operation to reinforce perimeters and monitor potential flare-ups, capitalising on favorable overnight weather conditions before an expected shift in the wind.