If a wildfire approaches: evacuate (desalojo) or stay in (confinamiento)

Terms used

• Desalojo — Desalojo is an evacuation: the authorities order you to leave the danger zone for a safer place.
• Confinamiento — Confinamiento means staying indoors in a safe, closed building until the authorities say the danger has passed.
• ES-Alert — ES-Alert is the emergency message sent to every phone in an area, with a loud tone.
• Guardia Civil — The Guardia Civil is Spain's national police force, which also operates in rural areas.
• Protección Civil — Protección Civil is Spain's civil protection service, which coordinates emergency response.

Key rules

• Emergency number: To report a wildfire, call 112, the free emergency number that works across Spain and in English.
• Authorities decide: Follow the order you receive instead of deciding alone to leave or stay.
• Do not flee through smoke: If the road is unsafe or there is no time, stay in a closed, strong building.
• Coming back: Do not go outside or home until the authorities say it is safe.

Follow the order you are given

Do what the authorities tell you. If the order is desalojo, leave by the route they give. If the order is confinamiento, shelter in a prepared building. Do not choose for yourself. Leaving alone through smoke is often more dangerous than staying in a well-prepared house.

If the fire is very close and the road is not safe, or there is no time to leave, stay in a strong, closed building. Do not try to flee in the open.

How orders reach you

Orders come from the regional civil protection authority and are passed on through several channels:

• ES-Alert: a message that reaches every phone in the area with a loud tone. It is in Spanish and the regional language, and often in English.
• Police at your door or by loudspeaker: local police, Guardia Civil, Policía Nacional or regional police may go door to door or drive through with loudspeakers.
• Regional 112 services: they may send SMS messages or social media posts.
• Local media: local radio, TV and town hall channels also carry orders. So do the accounts of 112, Protección Civil and the Guardia Civil.

An order that comes through these channels is genuine. Regional services add their own channels, so follow your region's civil protection accounts.

Words you may see in alerts: "desalojar la zona" means leave the area. "Confínese" and "no salga de casa" mean stay indoors and do not go out. "Punto de reunión" is the assembly point. "Corte de carretera" is a road closure.

If you are told to stay in (confinamiento)

1. Stay calm. Call 112 only if there is real danger, so lines stay free.
2. Bring everyone inside, including pets.
3. Close all doors, windows, shutters and blinds. Turn off air conditioning and ventilation.
4. Block gaps with wet cloths.
5. Turn off gas and electricity. Move curtains and gas bottles away from windows.
6. Fill baths and buckets with water and have wet towels ready.
7. Go to a room away from the fire side, ideally with a window and few openings. Stay low.
8. Keep a battery radio and a charged phone close.
9. If smoke is heavy, cover your nose and mouth with a damp cloth.
10. Stay inside until the authorities say it is safe, even if the fire front has passed.
11. Afterwards, check the house for embers, including the roof and attic.

If you are told to leave (desalojo)

Leave when told. If there is time before you go:

• Close doors and windows.
• Leave gates open for the fire services.

Take your documents, medication, phone and charger, water, cash, essentials and pets. Help vulnerable people and neighbours.

Go to the assigned meeting point or shelter, not to look at the fire. Register there. Do not go home until you are authorised.

By car

• Keep windows closed, lights on and air recirculation on.
• Drive slowly and carefully, and keep the road free for emergency vehicles.
• Do not stop in vegetation.
• If you are trapped, stop in a clear area away from vegetation. Keep the windows closed and the engine on. Lie down below the window level.

On foot

• Go to a cleared area, against the wind and away from vegetation.
• Walk across the slope and away from the fire.
• Avoid canyons and uphill paths.
• Follow roads where you can.

Reporting a fire

To report a wildfire, call 112, the free emergency number that works across Spain and in English. Give:

• the exact location: municipality, road and kilometre point, landmarks or GPS coordinates;
• what is burning, how big it is and which way the smoke or flames are moving;
• the wind, and any people, homes or roads at risk;
• your name and phone number.

Stay on the line until you are told to hang up. Do not try to fight the fire. Move to safety.

The decision, checklist, warnings and questions below cover the same ground in short form.

Choosing between options

Should you leave (desalojo) or stay in (confinamiento) when a wildfire approaches?

• Leave (desalojo): The authorities order an evacuation: leave at once by the route they give and go to the assigned meeting point or shelter.

• Stay in (confinamiento): The order is to stay indoors, or the fire is very close, the road is unsafe or there is no time to leave: shelter in a sealed, strong building with doors and windows closed.

Do what the authorities order, via 112, ES-Alert, local police or Guardia Civil. Never flee on your own through smoke or towards the fire.

Checklist

• Follow the authorities' order, which comes by ES-Alert on your phone, police or Guardia Civil at your door or on a loudspeaker, 112 messages, local radio, TV or town hall channels.

• If told to stay in (confinamiento), bring everyone, including pets, inside and close all doors, windows, shutters and blinds.

• Turn off air conditioning and ventilation, and block gaps with wet cloths.

• Move to a room away from the fire side, ideally with a window and few openings, and stay low.

• Keep a battery radio and a charged phone close, and stay inside until the authorities say it is safe.

• If told to leave (desalojo), turn off gas, water and electricity, close doors and windows, and leave gates open for the fire services if time allows.

• Go to the assigned meeting point or shelter by the route given, and register there.

• Stay away until the authorities allow you to return.

• Call 112 to report a fire or real danger, give the exact location, and stay on the line.

What to watch out for

• Fleeing on your own through smoke: Leaving by yourself through smoke or towards the fire is more dangerous than staying in a well-prepared house. Follow the authorities' order.

• Going outside too early when confined: The fire front passing does not mean the danger is over. Stay inside until the authorities say it is safe, then check the house for embers, including the roof and attic.

• Stopping in vegetation while driving out: Stopping near plants in a car puts you in the path of flames and blocks emergency vehicles. Drive slowly with windows closed and lights on.

• Going to look at the fire: Heading to watch the fire puts you in danger and slows the emergency services. Go to the assigned meeting point or shelter and keep roads free.

• Missing the meaning of an alert: Alerts are in Spanish and wording varies, so you may not understand a message. Learn "desalojar la zona" (leave the area) and "confínese" or "no salga de casa" (stay indoors). Call 112, which works in English, if unsure.

• Calling 112 when there is no real danger: Needless calls block the lines for people in danger. Call 112 only to report a fire or real danger, and do not try to fight the fire.

What if a fire starts near you and the road is blocked?

Call 112 and do not drive into smoke or flames. If the road out is blocked or the order comes late, the safest move is usually to shelter in a solid building or a cleared open area, not to push through.

First, call 112

Give your exact position and say the road is blocked. Then follow what the operator tells you. If you are safe at home and not in real danger, keep the line free for others.

An order to leave (desalojo) or to stay indoors (confinamiento) is genuine if it reaches you through an official channel:

• An ES-Alert message on your phone, with a loud tone.
• Messages or posts from your region's 112 service, local radio, TV or your town hall.

Regional 112 services add their own channels, so find your region's civil protection accounts before fire season.

If the order to leave comes late

Obey it, but take no risks.

• Take only essentials: documents, medication, phone and keys. Bring family and pets.
• Leave by the route the authorities give, never by a road toward the fire.
• Do not use routes through dense vegetation or drive through thick smoke.
• Drive with headlights on and windows closed. Give way to emergency vehicles.
• Do not go back for belongings. Tell 112 if anyone is left behind.

If leaving is no longer safe, call 112, give your position and shelter as described below.

If you shelter at home

5. Fill baths, sinks and buckets with water. Keep wet towels ready.
6. Go to a room on the side away from the fire, ideally with a window and few openings. Stay low and away from walls facing the fire.

If you are caught in a vehicle

• Park in a cleared area away from vegetation. Never stop in a dead end or in dense vegetation.
• Close windows and vents.
• Lie on the floor below window level and cover yourself with a blanket.
• Keep the engine running only if it is safe.
• Do not get out until the fire front has passed.

Frequently asked questions

Can I drive away if the fire is very close and the road is not safe?

No, do not drive off through smoke or towards the fire if the road is not safe; stay in a sealed, strong building instead. Fleeing in the open is more dangerous than staying in a well-prepared house. If you are already in the car and get trapped, stop in a clear area away from vegetation, keep the windows closed and the engine on, and lie down below the windows.

How do I know an evacuation order is genuine?

An order is genuine if it comes through the official channels: an ES-Alert message on your phone, police or Guardia Civil at your door or on a loudspeaker, or 112 messages. Local radio, TV and town hall accounts also pass them on.

What does "no salga de casa" mean in a fire alert?

"No salga de casa" means do not go out of your house, so you should stay inside with doors and windows closed. Other words to know are "desalojar la zona" (leave the area), "punto de reunión" (assembly point) and "corte de carretera" (road closure). Regions with their own language may show the alert in that language too.

What should I tell the operator when I report a wildfire?

Give the exact location first: municipality, road and kilometre point, landmarks or GPS coordinates. Then say what is burning, how big it is, which way the smoke or flames move, the wind, and any people, homes or roads at risk. Add your name and phone number, and stay on the line until told to hang up.

When can I go outside after the fire front has passed?

You can go outside only when the authorities say it is safe, even if the fire front has passed. Once it has passed, check the house for embers, including the roof and attic.