The A-66 fire at Casas de Millán: 800 people out for a night

What happened

A lorry caught fire on the A-66 at the Puerto de los Castaños, in the municipality of Casas de Millán, on the afternoon of Saturday 1 August, and the flames went into the forest beside the motorway. The Junta de Extremadura raised it to level 1 of the Infocaex plan and around 800 people were taken out: roughly 650 from Casas de Millán and about 150 from the hamlet of Grimaldo. On Sunday 2 August the regional government said the fire was heading for stabilisation with most of its perimeter held, and lifted the evacuation. Both villages were then placed under confinement so crews could keep working, and reporting on 2 August put the burnt area at around 1,500 hectares, with the fire having run close enough to threaten the edge of the Monfragüe national park. Electricity was restored; drinking water was not, because aircraft were still drawing water.

What it means if you're travelling

The A-66 is the main north-south motorway through western Spain, and this fire started beside it at kilometre 505, near Cañaveral. The Guardia Civil was regulating traffic while it ran. Check DGT before driving that stretch: on this corridor it is smoke across the carriageway, not flame, that closes a motorway, and it happens with no warning. If Monfragüe is on your itinerary — the birdwatching park north of Trujillo — check with the park before setting out, because the fire reached its western approaches. Casas de Millán and Grimaldo are confined rather than evacuated, which means residents are home but told to stay in; do not drive in to look.

The live picture

Official sources for this event