Another wildfire near Tarifa: over 2,000 people evacuated from homes, hotels and beaches

Four aircraft have joined efforts this Tuesday morning to fight the second forest fire to affect the Tarifa area of Cadiz province in a week.

The fire broke out on Monday afternoon in the Sierra de la Plata and led to the evacuation of thousands of people in the Atlanterra area.

The Junta's regional minister Antonio Sanz confirmed on Monday evening that those evacuated by the fire in Tarifa would be unable to return to their homes that night. He stressed that, up to that point, no personal injuries had been reported and that the houses in the Atlanterra area were being protected.

Following the meeting of the operations committee (activated as part of Andalucía's fire emergency plan), Sanz announced the reopening of all access points to the area, with the exception of the section between the Mamma Mía roundabout and Atlanterra, which will remain closed. However, those who were asked to remain indoors were allowed to leave if they wished.

The Miguel de Cervantes sports centre in Zahara, was set up as a point of care and information for those affected and some 800 people were accommodated throughout Monday afternoon and evening. In addition, the Red Cross and Civil Protection, in coordination with the 112 Andalucía emergency service, are providing assistance and support to those evacuated.

Furthermore, the regional minister indicated that it was planned to allow people to return to the campsite in the Hotel Antonio area on Monday evening, as it was still outside the perimeter affected by the fire. This measure would reduce the number of people needing to stay overnight in the sports centre to around 400, although the necessary space would continue to be made available for anyone needing care.

On a related topic, Sanz acknowledged before the media the "great work" carried out by Plan Infoca, which deployed 14 aircraft to the affected area. He also praised the work of the firefighters who, in coordination with Plan Infoca, established a secure ring around nearby homes to protect them from the spread of the fire, as well as the public.

In this regard, he stressed that the priority from the beginning has been "to protect people and homes." For this reason, it was decided to preemptively evacuate the entire front line of properties in the Atlanterra area. Subsequently, and depending on the progress of the fire, several hotels such as the Meliá and Cortijo hotels as well as several housing developments in the affected area were also evacuated.

In addition, traffic was cut off at various points, including the access points to Zahara de los Atunes and Atlanterra, which allowed for the evacuation of beachgoers to begin. For this, Sanz acknowledged the work of the Guardia Civil, the Local Police and Civil Protection, highlighting their efforts to regulate traffic on a road that is "very complicated, both for its narrowness and the access connections."

Sanz also explained that, in the initial phase of handling the wildfire, the local population was asked to move to the beach or remain indoors, with the aim of avoiding a "simultaneous mass evacuation." As Sanz out it: "The priority was to evacuate the most at-risk or most affected areas first." However, he stressed that the evacuation "was carried out in record time and with extraordinary efficiency", thanks to the coordination between the emergency teams and the various state security forces.

Currently, operations continue to focus their efforts on ensuring security on the left flank of the fire, the area closest to the residential areas and hotels. A security perimeter has been established there, where ground resources had been working and would continue to be active throughout Monday night. However, Sanz warned that "there will be moments of greater difficulty due to changes in the wind", which could complicate the extinguishing effort.

"The rest of the fire remains a cause for great concern, and I don't want to convey a message of optimism, because we are still facing a very complex situation to the right flank of the area, where the fire is affecting a large forest mass," he said. In this area, he explained, "all available resources have been deployed and a specific strategy has been designed with ground resources to operate during the night."

Thus far, no personal injury or material damage has been reported. There has only been one isolated incident, involving a Guardia Civil officer who volunteered to assist and was run over. Although his injuries "are not serious", he was taken to Puerto Real Hospital.

Finally, the regional minister indicated that the cause of the fire is still unknown. However, he stressed that the constant changes in wind direction have hampered efforts to bring the fire under control control, allowing the flames to advance "at an unimaginable speed in just one hour."

This new fire has occurred just two days after the fire that started on 5 August in La Peña, which affected an area of 283 hectares and forced the preemptive evacuation of some 1,500 people and 5,000 vehicles. That fire has since been extinguished.

Plan Infoca is currently working with both air and ground resources while there is daylight. On Monday, several helicopters were activated (three medium-heavy, two heavy and one light), alongside two light amphibious aircraft, one heavy amphibious aircraft and four ground-based cargo aircraft. Additionally, 150 professionals, five fire engines, an advanced forest fire analysis and monitoring unit, a forest fire medical unit and a mobile meteorology and broadcasting unit are working in the area.

Air and ground personnel are also accompanied by officers from Tarifa's Local Police, Guardia Civil and local fire stations (Tarifa and Algeciras) as mentioned by Tarifa town hall on its social media channels, stating that "the intensity and direction of the wind is a concern." Cadiz province's consortium of firefighters also provided a heavy-duty rural fire engine and a tanker vehicle.

Tarifa town hall has asked the public to avoid the area and follow official information as it continues to coordinate with Plan Infoca and those in charge of handling this wildfire.

Junta president Juanma Moreno, has called for "maximum caution" in the face of this second fire affecting the municipality of Tarifa, which he described as "significant". Moreno made this statement through his personal account on X, urging "those affected to follow all recommendations", adding a "please" to his counsel.