Ávila: Burgohondo, the Tiétar valley and the Valle de Iruelas destination risk · checked against official sources 5 August 2026 at 00:06 UK time

Ávila: Burgohondo, the Tiétar valley and the Valle de Iruelas Wildfire Risk: Should I Travel?

The Burgohondo fire has been logged active at the top of Castilla y León's severity scale since 22 July, and it reactivated at three points on 3 August. Twelve Ávila towns were evacuated and every one of them went home on 29 July.

Short answer: You can get here, and you can stay here. Every road in Ávila province reopened at 15:00 on 29 July and the twelve evacuated localities, La Adrada, Gavilanes, Casavieja, Casillas, El Hoyo de Pinares, Piedralaves, Mijares, Navahondilla, Santa María del Tiétar, Sotillo de la Adrada, Villanueva de Ávila and the Urbanización La Atalaya at El Tiemblo, were all cleared to return the same day. What you should not do is treat this as finished. The Junta still logs the fire active at level 2, and on 3 August it came back at the edge of La Adrada, at the Lorcajo dam near Piedralaves and in the high ground of El Tiemblo above El Castañar. Plan the villages and plan the roads. Do not plan walking, cycling or a day in the pine woods without asking locally first, and treat the Valle de Iruelas and the shore of the Embalse del Burguillo as unsettled.

Open the relevant wildfire map Read Spain travel advice

Active fire: The Burgohondo fire: Ávila's record blaze and the Sierra Oeste. Full incident page and official sources →

What is happening

A fire declared at Burgohondo in Ávila on 22 July merged with fires that started in the Sierra Oeste of Madrid the following day, and Spanish national media reported the combined burn as the largest on record in Spain. The record belongs to the Ávila fire rather than to Madrid, and sources differ on whether the comparison counts Ávila alone or Ávila with Madrid and Toledo together, so treat the ranking as reported rather than settled.

What it means if you are travelling

Madrid city and Barajas airport were never affected and Aena reported normal operations throughout. The city had two days of poor air quality on 26 and 27 July from fire smoke combined with Saharan dust. What is still restricted is recreation west of the capital: the San Juan reservoir and the Playa del Alberche are closed to swimming and boating until further notice, several bus lines have suspended stops there, and a number of urbanisations at Pelayos de la Presa and San Martín de Valdeiglesias had still not been cleared for return. The M-501 and the Ávila roads reopened on 29 July.

What is still disrupted in Ávila: Burgohondo, the Tiétar valley and the Valle de Iruelas

Checked against Junta de Castilla y León, daily forest fire report of 4 August 2026 at 19:00 on 2026-08-04. Conditions change daily during and after a fire, and the source below is the authority.

Check locally: Burgohondo fire, severity level 2. Active at level 2, the top of the Castilla y León scale, in every daily report since it started at 13:02 on 22 July, including the report published at 19:00 on 4 August. Burnt area still recorded as being surveyed, cause still under investigation. (as of 2026-08-04)
Reopened: Every road in Ávila province reopened at 15:00 on 29 July. Thirteen provincial and national roads were cut at the peak, including the N-403 and the AV-P-703 between Sotillo de la Adrada and Casillas. All circulation restrictions in the province were removed from 15:00 on 29 July. The national fire closure dashboard generated at 00:40 on 5 August lists no Ávila road. (as of 2026-08-04)
Restriction lifted: Twelve Ávila localities cleared to return home on 29 July. La Adrada, Gavilanes, Casavieja, Casillas, El Hoyo de Pinares, Piedralaves, Mijares, Navahondilla, Santa María del Tiétar, Sotillo de la Adrada, Villanueva de Ávila and the Urbanización La Atalaya at El Tiemblo. Confinement was lifted at El Tiemblo and Cebreros the same day. (as of 2026-07-29)

Junta de Castilla y León, daily forest fire report of 4 August 2026 at 19:00 →

Free destination checks

Is your village one of the twelve

La Adrada, Gavilanes, Casavieja, Casillas, El Hoyo de Pinares, Piedralaves, Mijares, Navahondilla, Santa María del Tiétar, Sotillo de la Adrada, Villanueva de Ávila and the Urbanización La Atalaya at El Tiemblo all went home on 29 July. Ring your accommodation anyway. Power, water and phone lines took damage that is still being repaired.

Road status on the morning you travel

Every Ávila road reopened on 29 July and none appears on the national fire closure dashboard today. Reactivations have closed roads at short notice before, so check the day you drive rather than the night before.

Walking, cycling and the pine woods

The Valle de Iruelas and the ground above the Embalse del Burguillo are inside the fire perimeter. Ask locally which paths are open. Burnt ground is unstable and crews are still working in it.

Smoke and reactivations

A fire this size throws smoke over the valley on a hot afternoon even where there is no flame. If you have a breathing condition, keep plans flexible.

Nearby alternatives to compare

Ávila city itself is north of the sierra and away from the fire ground, and its walls and old town are unaffected.
Keep a Tiétar valley stay separate from a Sierra Oeste day trip into Madrid: that side of the same fire has its own restrictions.
If you came for walking, the Sierra de Gredos west of Navaluenga is a different valley and worth asking about before you cancel the trip.

Active fire in Ávila: Burgohondo, the Tiétar valley and the Valle de Iruelas

Ávila: Burgohondo, the Tiétar valley and the Valle de Iruelas has an active fire event: burning, spreading, or an evacuation in force. The summary above is the current picture; the linked incident page and official sources carry the live detail, and conditions can change faster than this page. Always follow local authorities.

Sources used for this page

Europe Fire Map is travel decision support, not an emergency service or an official incident feed. Conditions can change faster than this page. Follow local authorities, accommodation providers and emergency services first. In danger anywhere in the EU, call 112.