Padrón Fire Emergency
Padrón Forest Fire Affects Over 180 Hectares, Activating Emergency Level 2 Near Towns
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A wildfire in Padrón (A Coruña) burned through more than 180 hectares of forest on the night of August 10, 2024, forcing the Xunta de Galicia to declare a 'Situación 2' emergency — the level reserved for fires that directly threaten human lives. The blaze broke out at 20:03 in the parish of Herbón and spread rapidly toward the villages of Cruxeiras de Abaixo and Sobrerribas, prompting authorities to call in the Military Emergency Unit (UME), according to El Correo Gallego.
By Sunday morning, some 50 UME soldiers, 32 brigades, 28 fire trucks, 6 helicopters, and 4 fixed-wing planes were fighting the blaze. The fire was stabilized by 13:00 on August 11, fully controlled by August 12, and declared extinguished on August 13. No homes were lost and no injuries were reported.
Flames Reach Villages as Situation 2 Is Declared at Midnight
The Xunta declared 'Situación 2' at 00:15 on August 11 — roughly four hours after the fire started. This classification means the fire poses an imminent risk to populated areas. The trigger was the fire's proximity to Cruxeiras de Abaixo and Sobrerribas, two small villages on the steep slopes of the Sar river valley, according to La Opinión de Murcia.
Residents in Cruxeiras and Herbón described "moments of panic" as orange flames lit up the hillsides. Many used private water hoses to clear brush around their homes. A shift in wind helped firefighters protect the village of Sobrerribas from the advancing fire front. By 13:00 on Sunday, authorities downgraded the alert from Situation 2 back to Situation 0.
Heat, Eucalyptus, and Steep Terrain Created a Perfect Fire Trap
Galicia was gripped by a localized heatwave on the night of the fire, with temperatures above 35°C and humidity below 30%. Forestry experts call this combination the '30-30-30 rule' — one of the clearest markers of extreme fire risk. The hills around Herbón are covered in eucalyptus and pine plantations, both highly flammable species, according to El Periódico de Aragón.
The Sar river valley's steep topography made things worse. Hills act like chimneys — fire climbs them fast. The parish of Herbón is also famous for its Padrón pepper crops in the valley below, which were largely spared. But the timber loss for local landowners on the hillsides is estimated in the tens of thousands of euros.
UME Soldiers and 50 Brigades Worked Through the Night
The Conselleira do Medio Rural, María José Gómez, was the lead spokesperson during the emergency. She confirmed that over 50 brigades were deployed and personally coordinated the request for UME support. "The nighttime work of the ground crews was heroic given the steep terrain of the Sar valley," she said, according to LNE.
More than 50 UME personnel arrived from the BIEM V base in León and focused on building firebreaks between the fire and the village of Sobrerribas. In total, the operation used 14 forest agents, 32 brigades, 28 fire trucks, 2 bulldozers, and 10 aerial assets. The final official count put the burned area at approximately 181.5 hectares, according to El Día.
Fire Reignites Debate Over Eucalyptus Forests and Forest Policy
Opposition parties in Galicia used the fire to criticize the Xunta's forest management. BNG representatives argued that the dominance of eucalyptus in the Sar valley turned the area into a "powder keg," and called for diversifying forest species. Environmental group ADEGA warned that ash runoff from the burned hillsides could contaminate the Sar River during autumn rains, according to Diario Córdoba.
The Xunta defended its response, pointing to the PLADIGA fire defense plan — introduced in 2022 — as the tool that allowed for the fast Situation 2 declaration. President Alfonso Rueda said the priority was "protecting lives and homes over timber resources." The fire also renewed calls in the Galician Parliament for stricter enforcement of the 50-meter firebreak rule that landowners must maintain around their homes, according to El Periódico Mediterráneo.
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