Valencia firefighters cool El Saler burn zone as intentional forest fire destroys 36 hectares
Emergency crews deployed drone units and ground reinforcements on Saturday after stabilizing an intentional wildfire that burned up to 37 hectares of coastal forest in Valencia.
Containment and drone surveillance
Firefighters in Valencia spent Saturday morning cooling remaining hotspots across the perimeter of the El Saler forest fire. The blaze, which started at midday on Thursday in the Devesa de El Saler natural park, burned between 36 and 37 hectares of coastal pine forest with an estimated perimeter of five kilometres. Municipal fire officer Miguel Ángel Gómez reported that overnight conditions remained calm, with teams securing the northern and southern flanks with assistance from the Military Emergency Unit before that unit was demobilized. Thermal drones deployed by the Valencia fire service tracked smouldering patches near the fire line, directing ground crews to extinguish flare-ups. A reinforcement team consisting of a sergeant, a corporal, and eight firefighters joined municipal and regional brigades to monitor the area during peak daytime temperatures.
Tonight we have been working on the main hot spots that worried us most, which were in the southern area, what was initially the tail of the fire, and the northern part, where several tasks were carried out in collaboration with the Military Emergency Unit to easily access the burned area and open certain trails.
Evacuations and emergency response
Emergency authorities declared Situation 2 under the regional Special Forest Fire Plan on Thursday, ordering the evacuation of approximately 160 residents and campsite occupants in the El Saler district. The rapid spread prompted an immediate evacuation of 30 residents from the Torre 1 apartment building alongside nearby coastal beaches. Fire services stabilized the blaze at 15:55 on Friday, enabling the regional government to downgrade the alert to Situation 1. Government Delegate Pilar Bernabé and Valencia Mayor María José Catalá authorized evacuated residents to return home on Friday evening while keeping the local beach and the natural park closed through the weekend. Restricted road access remained in effect on Saturday along routes 401 and CV-500, limiting vehicle traffic to local residents.
- Wildfire ignites in the Devesa de El Saler natural park and spreads toward residences
- Authorities declare Situation 2 alert and evacuate roughly 160 residents and campsite occupants
- Emergency services stabilize the fire and downgrade the alert level to Situation 1
- Officials authorize evacuated residents to return home while keeping the beach closed
- Fire crews deploy drone surveillance and reinforcement teams to cool smouldering hotspots
Environmental damage and arson inquiries
Police and forestry experts are investigating the fire as an intentional act, marking the latest incident in an area that recorded 17 intentional fires and ignition attempts since 2023. The Devesa de El Saler spans 800 hectares of Mediterranean forest between the Albufera lagoon and the Mediterranean Sea, located eight kilometres from Valencia. Forestry engineer Eduardo Rojas, a professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València, estimated that the burned woodland will require roughly 20 years to recover to its prior state. The burn area represents the largest fire damage in the park since 1986, when flames destroyed about 40 hectares. Rojas pointed to administrative co-management between the regional government and the city council as an ongoing structural difficulty for preventative park maintenance.
It is not that any species has been lost, but it will take about 20 years to return to something moderately similar to before.
Political reaction and economic relief
The emergency triggered immediate scrutiny from municipal opposition parties regarding emergency protocols and prevention funding under the coalition government of the People's Party and Vox. Compromís spokeswoman Papi Robles announced plans to question city and regional leaders about the timing of emergency alerts and the adequacy of specialized forest equipment deployed on Thursday. Meanwhile, business association SOS Hostelería requested targeted economic relief from the Valencia City Council and the state Tax Agency on behalf of more than 20 hospitality venues. Association president Rafael Asensio stated that road closures halted trade during the final weekend of the summer vacation season, seeking deferrals on municipal economic activity taxes, value-added tax payments, and self-employed social security contributions.
The administration must show flexibility when misfortunes like this fire occur and must support economic activity.
