Infoca has declared the fire in Los Gallardos to be ‘stabilised’ and has authorised the return of a thousand of those who were evacuated

Almeria fire

The president of the regional government of Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has announced the downgrading to Operational Level 1 after the fire was successfully contained, paving the way for residents to gradually return to their homes

Miguel Cárceles

Almería

A glimmer of hope has finally eased the extreme tension that has been keeping Andalucía on tenterhooks. After several days marked by anguish and devastation, ... the president of the regional government of Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has officially announced from the forward command post in Turre that the Infoca Plan has declared the violent forest fire that broke out in Almocáizar, in the municipality of Los Gallardos, on Thursday afternoon to be "stabilised".

The head of the regional government has confirmed that the fire has been fully "contained"’, which has made it possible to immediately downgrade the emergency to operational level 1 and authorise “the gradual return” of the approximately 1,000 people who had been evacuated from their homes for safety reasons.

This news marks a crucial turning point in what is already regarded as the worst environmental and human tragedy involving wildfires in the recent history of eastern Andalucía.

Moreno wished to publicly express his most sincere gratitude to all the technical and operational teams for their dedication, their tireless efforts and the excellent coordination demonstrated in all the tasks carried out on the ground.

However, the Andalusian president has warned that the danger has not completely disappeared and that the large-scale fire-fighting operation will continue to work intensively over the coming hours to bring the fire under definitive control.

The stabilisation of the fire front provides a crucial respite for the Almeris area, which is in a state of utter dismay following confirmation of the tragic death toll of twelve people as a result of the fire’s advance.

Search operations within the burnt-out area proved crucial in confirming the scale of a disaster that has left deep scars across the entire Levante region of Almeria. Regional minister Antonio Sanz had already described the situation as an unprecedented tragedy in the region, conveying the grief of an entire community that has rallied round to support those affected.

According to initial information gathered by the 1-1-2 emergency coordination centre, the source of this disaster was located at around kilometre 511 of the N-340A national road. Accounts provided by drivers and residents who witnessed the fire breaking out suggested that the unexpected fall of a high-voltage power line onto the ground was what sparked the initial flames. The extremely dry vegetation and strong gusts of wind in the area acted as a perfect catalyst, causing the flames to spread at an unprecedented speed towards the woodland and rural homes.

The initial intensity of the fire forced the emergency management team to activate Operational Phase 2, which led to the deployment of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) with a contingent of 150 military personnel who quickly joined forces with the Andalusian forest firefighters.

Despite the massive deployment of technical equipment, fire engines and medical resources, the fire forced the evacuation of entire neighbourhoods such as Almocáizar, Fuente del Albarico, Los Pinos and La Serena, with preventative evacuations extended to the neighbouring town of Bédar, specifically the residential area of El Pinar, where the proximity of thick smoke posed a direct threat to homes.