A fire south of Ávila forces the "partial confinement" of Mombeltrán.

A fire that broke out last Monday night in the Barranco de las Cinco Villas, in the municipality of Cuevas del Valle, south of the province of Ávila, forced the "partial lockdown" of the population of the nearby municipality of Mombeltrán, located at the foot of Puerto del Pico, into the early hours of the morning.

This was announced by the Regional Government of Castile and León early this morning. Due to the "serious risk to the population, property, or significant forest damage" and the rapid spread of the flames, the regional government declared a Potential Severity Index 2 (PRI2) and Operational Situation 2 (IS2) in the region around 2:20 a.m.

The fire started at 11:10 p.m. in an area of the Tiétar Valley, which was hit at the time by strong gusts of northerly winds , which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Just two minutes after midnight, the General Directorate of Traffic reported the complete closure of traffic in both directions of the N-502 highway , between kilometers 64.2 and 67.3, as a preventive measure due to the spread of the fire and the presence of smoke and dust on the road, which impeded traffic.

At around 1 a.m., the President of the Regional Government of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, took to social media to show his support for the efforts to extinguish the forest fire: "Closely monitoring the progress of #IFMontbeltrán in #Ávila, with very strong winds. A large operation has been working in the area since the fire broke out tonight," the head of the regional government posted on the social network X, where he also thanked those fighting the fire and pledged, from the Regional Government, that they would use "all means to extinguish it as soon as possible."

Early this morning, he reported that, in response to the need for measures to "attend to and assist the population or protect property" due to the proximity of the flames, he had ordered a "partial lockdown" of Mombeltrán last night.

The population of this municipality, which usually falls below a thousand, multiplies during the summer. This is a "preventive measure" adopted to "ensure the safety" of residents.

Last night, regional authorities requested the mobilization of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), whose first battalion departed from Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). The operation currently working in the area consists of 42 personnel: twelve ground crews, thirteen fire engines, eight environmental agents, three technicians, two bulldozers, three helicopter crews, and three other personnel.

Investigators believe the manner in which the fire started and the time of its inception are indications that it could have been arson . The area was the focus of another serious fire in the summer of 2009, which destroyed 4,500 hectares.