6,000 Vall d'Uixó residents cleared to return home

Today's essentials (4 key points)

• Valencia city sits between 23 and 31°C today under partly cloudy skies with wind up to 18 km/h, according to Open-Meteo.
• The Generalitat has listed nine official observation points across the Valencian Community to watch the eclipse on 12 August 2026.
• Valencia City Council has opened applications for its Bonos Comercio VLC 2026 scheme, handing 25 euros per person to spend in city shops.
• The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía will hold its traditional free open day, now in its 19th edition, with workshops and concerts.

Today's essentials

6,000 Vall d'Uixó residents cleared to return home. About 6,000 residents of four Vall d'Uixó neighbourhoods (Toledo, Carbonaire, Sant Antoni and Sant Josep) were cleared to return home on 27 July 2026 as the Serra d'Espadà fire eased, and the Generalitat deployed a joint security, health and logistics operation for their return, according to Valencia Extra.

The return is being run as a coordinated operation: Juanfran Pérez Llorca set it up with health councillor Marciano Gómez and social services councillor Elena Albalat, Valencia Extra reports, with the Local Police, the Guardia Civil and the Policía de la Generalitat handling security, the Emergency Coordination Centre and the Directorate General of Public Health covering the medical side, and the Red Cross and the Diputación de Castellón managing logistics.

The fire in the Serra d'Espadà, burning inside the natural park since Saturday 25 July 2026, has spread quickly, and the two available readings differ: Pérez Llorca put it at around 4,500 hectares with a 40 km perimeter at midday on Sunday 26 July, while esdiario.com recorded roughly 8,500 hectares and a 72 km perimeter by late Monday 27 July. As of the evening of 27 July, about 16,000 people were still evacuated across 16 towns and several urbanisations, a further 65,000 were confined without being moved, 500 were housed in emergency shelters, and more than 400 ground crew and 30 aircraft were fighting the blaze, per esdiario.com.

For anyone heading back, the Conselleria de Sanitat issued strict rules through the Emergency Coordination Centre, as reported by ElPeriodic: use bottled water only for drinking and cooking, flush the indoor plumbing by running each tap for several minutes before use, avoid eating fruit and vegetables directly exposed to smoke or ash and wash the rest thoroughly, wear a fitted self-filtering mask, keep doors and windows closed, limit physical activity and wipe surfaces with a damp cloth.

What this changes for you: if you have family, property or plans in the Castellón interior, the reopening is happening in stages, and roughly 16,000 people were still out on the evening of 27 July, so do not treat the whole zone as clear. Anyone returning should stock bottled water, keep a fitted mask handy and hold off on tap water until the pipes have been flushed. Updated figures on returns and on getting the fire under control are expected from 28 July 2026 onward, according to esdiario.com and Valencia Extra.

What you need to know

• Towns affected : Cleared to return on 27 July 2026: four Vall d'Uixó neighbourhoods (Toledo, Carbonaire, Sant Antoni and Sant Josep). Still evacuated: Ain, Eslida, Artana, Tales, Sueras, Alcudia de Veo, Alfondeguilla, Chóvar, Azuébar, Almedíjar, Ayódar, Fuentes de Ayódar, Torralba del Pinar, Villamalur, la Vilavella and the hamlet of Artesa in Onda, plus urbanisations of Betxí, Onda and Segorbe.
• Roads closed or diverted : non communique a cette heure
• Official instructions : Confinement without evacuation remained in force for roughly 65,000 people, with about 16,000 still evacuated as of the evening of 27 July 2026. For residents returning home, the Conselleria de Sanitat ordered: bottled water only for drinking and cooking, flushing indoor pipes by running each tap for several minutes before use, no fruit or vegetables directly exposed to smoke or ash, a fitted self-filtering mask, doors and windows kept closed, limited physical activity and cleaning surfaces with a damp cloth.
• Air quality : Official health advice assumes smoke exposure in the affected zone: wear a fitted self-filtering mask, keep doors and windows closed, limit physical activity and clean surfaces with a damp cloth (Conselleria de Sanitat).
• Official numbers & channels : 112, Emergencias GVA and the Generalitat Valenciana's official channels.
• Last updated : 28 July 2026 for the return operation and health rules, with the latest precise evacuation figures (16,000 still out, 6,000 back) dating from the evening of 27 July 2026.

Situation ongoing: this article will be updated.

Weather today

Partly cloudy in Valencia, 23 to 31°C. Valencia city stays between 23 and 31°C today under partly cloudy skies, with wind up to 18 km/h, according to Open-Meteo; carry water and keep to the shade in the hottest hours.

Transport & traffic

No transport or traffic incidents reported at time of publication.

Local news to know

• Nine official spots for the 12 August eclipse. The Generalitat has listed nine official observation points across the Valencian Community to watch the eclipse on 12 August 2026, according to Las Provincias.
• World Cup final tickets flagged as an official gift. Generalitat president Juanfran Pérez Llorca and a senior aide must declare their World Cup final tickets as gifts to the Transparency authority, elDiario.es reports, under the region's gift and transparency rules.
• 25 euros to spend in Valencia shops. Valencia City Council has opened applications for its Bonos Comercio VLC 2026 scheme, offering 25 euros per person to spend in city shops, according to Valencia Secreta.
• 30,000 candles light up Titaguas this weekend. Valencia Secreta reports that more than 30,000 candles will light the streets of Titaguas, just over an hour by car from Valencia, this weekend for its Noche de Velas.

Tonight and tomorrow, Valencia

• Palau de les Arts opens its doors for free. The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía will hold its traditional free open day, now in its 19th edition, with guided access, workshops and concerts, according to Valencia Bonita.
• New Malvarrosa hotel opens with rooftop pool. Levante-EMV reports that the Intelier Malvarrosa Plaza hotel has opened a few metres from Malvarrosa beach, with a rooftop pool and sea views open to locals and visitors.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow