La Mierla wildfire in Guadalajara declared extinguished

The La Mierla forest fire in the Sierra Norte region of Guadalajara, Spain, has been officially declared extinguished after 51 days. The blaze, which began on July 16, was fully extinguished at 18:30 on Friday, September 4.

The fire affected between 32,000 and 34,447 hectares of land, much of it within the Sierra Norte Natural Park. During the emergency, authorities were forced to evacuate 34 municipalities and confine 14 others to ensure public safety.

Extinguishing efforts involved thousands of personnel, including the Military Emergencies Unit (UME), and hundreds of pieces of equipment. The operation faced difficult weather conditions, including temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, winds over 30 kilometers per hour, and low humidity.

In response to the damage, the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha has established a recovery plan for the Sierra Norte area to coordinate environmental, territorial, economic, and social restoration efforts.