Spanish authorities have initiated a gradual lifting of mass evacuations and lockdowns in wildfire-affected areas, enabling thousands of displaced residents to return to their homes. Starting from 5:00 pm on Tuesday, the interior ministry ended evacuation orders for 13 municipalities across central regions. While the ministry did not provide a specific count of those impacted, the move marks a significant shift in the emergency response.
Signs of normalcy were visible near Chapinería and Navas del Rey, two villages that had been fully cleared days earlier. According to reports from the scene, a queue of over 20 vehicles gathered at a Civil Guard checkpoint immediately following the announcement. This development follows a national emergency declaration last week, which saw approximately 60,000 people flee as fires consumed 77,000 hectares, a territory nearly the size of New York City.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, speaking from a command centre in Navalcarnero, described the current status of the emergency as a stage of containment. READ ALSO: Firefighters make progress in battle against Spain's wildfires. He noted that "Our concern is to continue consolidating the fire and reach stabilisation," he said, warning of a "difficult" weather situation as temperatures were expected to rise from Tuesday. Similar progress has been noted in the eastern province of Castellón within the Valencia region. The Valencian government lifted confinement orders in La Vilavella on Tuesday morning, allowing roughly 6,000 people to return to their normal lives in the Vall d'Uixó area. Although approximately 16,000 individuals were displaced throughout the province, the progression of the fires has slowed significantly, providing much-needed relief to the affected communities. With additional reporting by The Local Spain's Alex Dunham.
The lifting of the order means "residents can begin returning to their homes," the ministry told AFP, without specifying how many residents were affected.
MAP: Where are the wildfires in Spain right now?
