El Saler, Valencia city, evacuated and beaches shut as forest fire spreads through Albufera park

Flames tore through protected pine woods at El Saler just south of Valencia this Thursday after a fire started around 1pm near Gola de Pujol in the Devesa. Wind changes later in the afternoon made containment harder and pushed authorities to empty the village, nearby campsites and stretches of beach. An ES-Alert went out to mobiles telling people to get out.

How the fire started and grew

Smoke first appeared shortly after midday in the Gola de Pujol area of the Devesa del Saler, part of Albufera Natural Park. Valencia city firefighters and Generalitat forest crews moved in quickly, with aerial support arriving soon afterwards. Crews thought they had the north and south flanks roughly contained by mid-afternoon. A change in wind direction then forced them to concentrate on the northern side and call for extra aircraft. Juan Carlos Caballero, Valencia’s emergencies councillor, said those wind shifts were what made the job so difficult.

#IFValència pic.twitter.com/9fsQcwIkE2

— alexmontesd (@alexmontesd) August 27, 2026

Sideinfo high-pressure water cannons around El Saler were switched on as a precaution to soak trees and shrubs and slow any further spread. Local police emptied a car park and one apartment block known as Torre 1 early on because of the dense smoke. Beaches close to the flames were also cleared.

Enésimo #IIFF en La Devesa de El Saler.
De nuevo la pesadilla. pic.twitter.com/BMLMgY0Jns

— AAVV DEHESA EL SALER (@AavvSaler) February 12, 2024

Evacuations, buses and closed roads

Cecopal, the local emergency centre, ordered a full preventive evacuation of El Saler village and the campsites once the fire entered the Devesa and the emergency plan was raised to situation 2. Free buses were laid on. Anyone without their own transport was told to gather at the DGT exam-centre roundabout so they could be directed to safety.

CV-500, the main road linking El Saler with Valencia, was closed in both directions. Police asked drivers heading in from El Perellonet to find another route and warned people not to approach the area so crews could work. Smoke and ash drifted far enough to be noticed in Betera.

#IIFFdevesasaler
Medios aéreos trabajando, con precision quirúrgica.@GVAbforestals @Agent_indignat @bomberosvlc @BombersValencia @AMGVA pic.twitter.com/tSfbPE9rQC

— AAVV DEHESA EL SALER (@AavvSaler) August 27, 2026

Crews, aircraft and the UME on scene

Valencia firefighters sent multiple crews and equipment, including an ambulance, command vehicles and a drone unit. Generalitat forest firefighters added ground and helicopter teams plus a local brigade. Two planes joined the Generalitat aircraft already overhead.

No hectare figure had been released by early evening, and the cause remained under investigation. Albufera’s pine woods sit close to homes, tourist campsites and the coast, so even a modest fire quickly becomes a problem for both people and a protected landscape that has seen smaller incidents in recent years.

Residents who stayed in nearby buildings were asked to keep doors and windows shut against the smoke. Officials repeated the same message: stay well away, listen to police and firefighters, and check updates from the Valencia town hall and the city fire service.

Valencia has poured a lot of money into wildfire surveillance and prevention in recent years, including watchtowers, drones and the firefighting system now in use at El Saler. Valencia has strengthened wildfire prevention with an over €20 million investment.

The area is considered one of the most beautiful and pristine natural forests in the Valencia area and an essential sanctuary for hibernating flamingos.