Peñalba de la Sierra and the Northern Sierra of Guadalajara They can breathe a little easier. The fire that broke out in the Pico del Lobo area is stabilized and has dropped to level 1 in the Castilla-La Mancha region, allowing progress to be made with the operational de-escalation.
The outlook has improved with the help of weather and sustained team work: The perimeter remains generally cool, with only a few hot spots remaining, which are still being filled. Conditions permitting, this could occur throughout the day. assess the passage to level 0 on the Guadalajara side.
Current situation and operating levels
According to the Deputy Minister of the Environment, José Almodóvar, the fire remains stabilized and the Castilian-Manchegan part has dropped to 1 level, while the Segovia front continues in 2 level. It maintains a unified command with Castile and León and the UME continues to operate on the Segovia side to secure the area.
Almodóvar explained that the strategy of recent days has allowed containment to be consolidated, but he called for caution: there are still tasks to be carried out. surveillance and auction and the transition to lower alert levels will depend on developments in the coming hours.
Affected area and perimeter evolution
Provisional estimates place the affected area at around 3.000 hectares in Guadalajara, to which would be added around 200 hectares in SegoviaThese figures may be adjusted with the final file, but they have not been visible since the weekend. significant perimeter growth.
Stabilization allows you to work more safely in identifying hot spots, cooling edges and consolidating defense lines to minimize reactivations with wind changes or the central hours of the day.
Deployed resources and work on the ground
In recent hours, the device has alternated between higher and lower intensity phases depending on the time of day. They were operational by mid-morning. up to 15 air and 21 land vehicles with close to 184 effective at times of greatest activity, a large operational deployment; while, with the fire stabilized, the operation is concentrating on finishing tasks with 4 air assets, 20 terrestrial and around 120 forest firefighters.
The balance of personnel mobilized during the last few days is around 600 people, including helicopter brigades, ground crews, pilots, environmental agents, and coordination personnel. The immediate objective is to maintain the perimeter. cold and safe until extinction.
Mobility, access and public use
Power cuts remain in place GU-187 highway and in the access road to Puerto de la Quesera, mainly to avoid interfering with heavy machinery and fire-fighting equipment that is working continuously.
Outside the active perimeter, operations have resumed. visits to the Hayedo de la Tejera Negra, one of the main attractions of the area, although the authorities ask to be extremely careful caution and respect all instructions from Park and device staff. More information about the forest management and its recovery.
Debate on management: criticism and reply
Fire management has generated union and political criticismFrom the Intercenter Committee of GEACAM, Manuel Amores denounced that on the day of the start there was only a checkpoint operational in Guadalajara, and unions such as CCOO and UGT have demanded accountability and organizational changes, alleging cuts in personnel and means.
The regional government defends the deployment. Almodóvar maintains that the first attack had to be essentially air for safety due to the high mountain terrain—steep slopes and difficult access—and describes it as risky to introduce brigades by land without guarantees. The priority, he emphasizes, has always been staff safety and the population.
Chronology and local context
The fire broke out on Sunday September 21 early in the morning around the Wolf Peak-Cerrón, municipality of El Cardoso de la Sierra. In the toughest days it reached over 2.400 hectares And, on the following Sunday, the estimate was around 3.000 hectares on the Guadalajara slope.
With the improvement of conditions, the residents of the districts of Cabida and Peñalba de la Sierra They were able to return to their homes and the operational situation in Castilla-La Mancha dropped to level 1, with finishing work continuing and progress being monitored on the Segovia side, which is still at level 2.
The evolution of the last few days marks a turning point. With the fire stabilized, the teams are focusing on cool the perimeter, seal off hot spots and ensure there are no reactivations. If the trend continues, the scenario could continue de-escalating in the next hours.
