A devastating fire at a battery recycling facility in Azuqueca de Henares, Guadalajara, on Friday has left two people injured, prompting the government of Castilla-La Mancha to declare an alert and the government of Madrid to activate the Platercam protocol.
Dramatic Scenes and Immediate Assistance at the Incident Site
The events unfolded at the plant located in the Rhône industrial estate. According to the 112 Emergency and Emergency Coordination Service of Castilla-La Mancha, one of the injured is a worker who received on-site treatment and did not require transfer. The other affected person is a 37-year-old firefighter who was transported to the hospital by a life support ambulance. His condition is currently stable, but the situation highlights the dangers faced by rescue workers in such operations.
Incendio en fábrica de reciclado de pilas y baterías de vehículos con componentes de litio en Azuqueca de Henares. pic.twitter.com/lniJeqZ5ck
— Alfredo Perdiguero M. 🇪🇸 (@PerdigueroASP) July 4, 2025
Far-Reaching Consequences: Smoke Plume and Evacuation Measures
The fire generated a significant plume of smoke, visible from dozens of kilometers away, which settled menacingly over the landscape. This led to the immediate issuance of an ES-Alert to the towns of Azuqueca, Alovera, and Cabanillas del Campo. Residents were urgently advised to self-confine, close doors and windows, and turn off air conditioning systems to prevent smoke from entering their homes. They were also explicitly asked not to approach the fire intervention area to avoid hindering the work of emergency services or endangering themselves.
Alert Levels in Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid
Both the government of Castilla-La Mancha and the government of the Autonomous Community of Madrid reacted immediately and activated their respective emergency plans: Platecam (Castilla-La Mancha) and Platercam (Madrid).
As part of the Platecam activation, the 112 Emergency and Emergency Coordination Service of Castilla-La Mancha informed the affected municipalities and operational groups about the situation so that they could establish appropriate prevention, monitoring, and response measures given the development of the fire.
A second ES-Alert was sent under the application of Platecam, which has been active in the province of Guadalajara since 8:15 PM on Friday. This extended its reception area to the south of the municipality of Azuqueca de Henares, which already borders the Community of Madrid. The decision for this extension was made considering a change in wind direction that could affect the smoke cloud generated by the fire at the battery recycling warehouse. Accordingly, the 1-1-2 Emergency Service of Castilla-La Mancha issued a new message at 9:07 PM, again recommending the population to self-confine, close doors and windows, and turn off air conditioning systems to prevent smoke from entering from outside and to not approach the intervention area where emergency services are operating.
In Madrid, the territorial emergency plan of the Autonomous Community of Madrid (Platercam) was activated at level 0, as the smoke generated by the fire could affect the neighboring population in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. The 112 emergencies of the Autonomous Community of Madrid also reported that they had notified the municipalities and affected organizations of the emergency plan’s activation. Furthermore, two firefighter teams from the Autonomous Community of Madrid and a headquarters unit were dispatched to collaborate with the resources of 112 Castilla-La Mancha in the Azuqueca de Henares intervention.
The cooperation of emergency services from both regions is crucial to bring the situation under control as quickly as possible and prevent further damage or injuries. Authorities continue to ask the population for utmost vigilance and to follow all instructions from emergency personnel.
