Making a home in a pine-forest urbanización safer from fire

Terms used

• Comunidad de propietarios — The comunidad de propietarios is the residents' owners' association that runs and pays for shared areas.
• Entidad urbanística de conservación — The entidad urbanística de conservación is a body of owners that maintains the roads, services and common areas of an urbanización.
• Plan de autoprotección — The plan de autoprotección is a written self-protection and emergency plan for a site, approved by the regional authority or town hall.
• Ayuntamiento — The ayuntamiento is your town hall, the local authority that issues local rules and runs municipal emergency plans.

Key rules

• Local distances: Clearing distances and deadlines are set by your region and town, so get the ones for your plot from your town hall.
• Owner duty: The town hall can order you to clear your plot and charge you if it does the work.
• Single road: If your urbanización has one road out, leave early when told, because smoke or fire can block it.
• Emergency plan: The official evacuation routes and meeting points are in the municipal emergency plan.

Start with the strip around your house

Your first job is a low-fuel strip around the house. Official guidance commonly suggests 10–30 m, but the exact distance is set by your region and town. Ask your town hall which distance and deadline apply to your plot. The checklist below lists the clearing tasks.

Beyond the checklist, these steps make the biggest difference:

• Use fire-resistant materials for roof, walls, shutters and vents.
• Put fine mesh on vents and chimneys, so embers cannot get in.
• Choose low-flammability plants. Keep resinous trees such as pine, cypress and eucalyptus away from the house.
• Keep the house number visible, so firefighters can find you.
• Keep a water supply and a hose that reaches around the house.

Know who is responsible for what

Fire safety in an urbanización is shared. Knowing who does what tells you where your duty ends and where to push.

• You, as owner: clear your own plot and verges. The town hall can order you to do it. If you don't, it can do the work and charge you.
• The comunidad de propietarios (or entidad urbanística de conservación): looks after common areas, the perimeter strip and hydrants. It often names the person in charge of the plan de autoprotección.
• The ayuntamiento: is the first civil-protection authority. It approves the municipal emergency plan, enforces clearing and issues local rules.
• The regional government: runs fire prevention and extinction, sets the high-danger periods and authorises burns.

Typical regional duties for urbanizaciones next to forest land include a plan de autoprotección, a perimeter firebreak (often 25–50 m wide), access roads wide enough for fire engines with turning space, and hydrants or water tanks. Widths and deadlines differ by region, so ask your town hall and your community which apply.

Work with your neighbours

Fire does not stop at plot lines. A cleared plot next to an overgrown one is still at risk.

• Ask your community whether it has a fire committee, and join it.
• Ask the community to confirm the perimeter strip, hydrants and access road are maintained.
• Go to town hall meetings and ask for an inspection of neglected plots.
• Volunteer with a local forest-defence group or Protección Civil volunteers, where they exist in your area.

Plan your evacuation

If your urbanización has one road out, plan early. A single road can be blocked by smoke or fire.

1. Learn every exit route, including any secondary or emergency access such as a gated forest track, and where it leads.
2. Agree a meeting point outside the danger zone and away from vegetation, such as a plaza, sports ground or car park. Pick a back-up too.
3. Agree a family plan and an out-of-area contact. Keep a go-bag and an emergency kit ready.
4. Walk or drive the route once, and check that parked cars do not block it.
5. When told to leave, leave early. Follow the instructions of 112, the Guardia Civil, the Policía Local and Protección Civil.
6. Never drive towards the fire front. Keep the road free for fire engines.

The official routes and meeting points are in the municipal emergency plan, so ask your town hall for them. Ask your community to keep the access road clear and to mark the meeting point.

Before the dangerous season

Check the checklist below, then speak to your community about the shared items. The warnings below cover the common mistakes.

Fire-ready property checklist for forest-edge homes

Pre-season fire checklist for your home

• Ask your town hall for the clearing distance and deadline that apply to your plot, then clear a strip around the house to that distance (25 to 30 metres is common).

• Cut dry grass, brush and dead wood in that strip, and keep grass short.

• Thin trees so their crowns do not touch, and prune branches up to 2 to 3 metres from the ground.

• Cut back any branches that touch or overhang the roof and walls.

• Clear leaves and pine needles from the roof, gutters and terraces.

• Move firewood, gas cylinders and fuel stores away from the house and from vegetation.

• Replace flammable hedges next to the house with low-flammability plants.

• Clear the access road and gate so fire trucks can get in, with room to turn around.

• Check that your house number is clearly visible from the road.

• Fit fine mesh over vents and chimneys, and check that your shutters are fire-resistant.

• Check that you have a water supply and a hose that reaches all sides of the house, such as a pool, tank or hydrant.

• Have your electrical and gas installations checked.

• Write down your evacuation plan, including the route out and where your household will meet.

• Pack a go-bag near the door with passports, residency cards and NIE, copies of insurance and property papers, cash and bank cards.

• Add a phone, charger and power bank, a battery or wind-up radio, a torch with spare batteries, and a list of key phone numbers.

• Add medication and prescriptions, a first-aid kit, water, non-perishable food, spare clothes, sturdy shoes, blankets, glasses, FFP2 masks and hygiene items.

• Add what children, older people and pets need, such as a pet carrier, pet food and vaccination papers.

• Keep your car fuelled and the keys by the door.

What to watch out for

• Pine, cypress and eucalyptus close to the house: Resinous trees next to the walls and roof burn fiercely and carry fire to the house. Replace them near the house with low-flammability plants, and keep a low-fuel strip of commonly 10 to 30 m around it.

• Fine mesh missing on vents and chimneys: Embers can enter through open vents and chimneys and ignite the inside of the house. Fit fine mesh on vents and chimneys, and use fire-resistant materials for roof, walls and shutters.

• Doing nothing about the community's duties: If the community or neighbours leave strips, hydrants or access roads neglected, the town hall can order the work and charge the owners. Join the community's fire committee and ask the town hall to inspect neglected plots.

• Waiting too long to leave a single-access urbanización: One road can become blocked by smoke or fire, and parked cars can stop fire engines from getting through. Leave as soon as you are told to, keep the road free, never drive towards the fire front, and follow the instructions of 112 and the local police.

• Having no family plan or meeting point: Without an agreed route and meeting point, family members can lose each other or head towards danger. Agree a meeting point away from vegetation, such as a plaza or car park, with a back-up. Name a contact outside the area, rehearse the route and keep a go-bag ready.

Frequently asked questions

Who keeps the fire strip around my urbanización clear?

The residents' community or the urbanización's maintenance body normally keeps the perimeter strip, common areas and hydrants in order. The strip is often 25 to 50 m wide, depending on the region. If owners do not clear their own plots, the town hall can order the work and charge them.

Can I help with fire prevention in my urbanización?

Yes, you can join your community's fire committee or volunteer with a local forest defence group or civil protection volunteers.

Where do I find the official evacuation route and meeting point for my urbanización?

Ask your town hall, because its municipal emergency plan sets the official routes and meeting points. Also ask whether there is a secondary exit, such as a gated forest track, and where it leads.

What should I do if my urbanización has only one road out?

Leave early when ordered, because a single road can be blocked by smoke or fire. Do not park on the road, and follow the instructions of 112, the Guardia Civil and the local police.