Wildfire near La Mierla affects almost 30,000 hectares – 34 localities evacuated

La Mierla – 21 July 2026: Smoke has hung over the ridges of the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara for days. According to the latest information, the wildfire that broke out on Thursday near La Mierla remains out of control. By Tuesday morning, around 29,000 hectares were believed to have been affected. The fire has thus reached a scale the Castilla-La Mancha region has not experienced before.

For residents of the scattered villages, the situation above all means an abrupt loss of everyday life. According to authorities, 34 localities have now been evacuated as a precaution. As early as Monday, around 1,200 people had to leave their homes. New orders affected Hiendelaencina, Congostrina and San Andres del Congosto, among other places, as the fire front continued to move.

The fire began on 16 July in the municipality of La Mierla and spread within just a few days across terrain of forests, slopes and small settlements. Estimates of the burned area continued to change: on Monday morning, the figure was still around 26,000 hectares. Assessment of the extensive fire zone is ongoing.

The Infocam command team is relying on ground crews, fire engines, heavy machinery and controlled backburns to establish defensive lines. According to media reports, 72 ground units with 394 emergency personnel were deployed on Tuesday morning. The Military Emergency Unit, UME, is also supporting firefighting operations. According to those in charge, protecting localities and their residents is the priority.

Conditions in the Sierra Norte are particularly difficult: high temperatures, very dry air and wind can quickly turn smouldering hotspots into new fire fronts. The fire also threatens valuable natural areas in the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara Natural Park and is moving northward. Authorities are therefore also monitoring a possible spread towards the neighbouring province of Soria.

According to available reports, the cause of the fire has not been determined. Assessing possible triggers at this stage would be speculation. For people in the evacuated localities, the immediate concerns are very concrete: When will they be allowed to return, have homes and farms been spared, and what remains of the forests and pastures that shape their region?

The fire recalls July 2005 for the province, when a blaze near La Riba de Saelices claimed the lives of eleven emergency personnel and destroyed around 13,000 hectares. The current fire has clearly exceeded that area. For emergency services, every change in the weather remains crucial – and for those affected, so does every day away from home.