Gátova evacuated as Calderona fire burns 133 hectares

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Authorities evacuated the village of Gátova after a wildfire ignited by lightning spread across 133 hectares of the Serra Calderona natural park near Segorbe.
• Violent storms dumped more than 80 litres per square metre of rain and gusts close to 150 km/h across Valencia province, keeping firefighters busy on roughly 120 wind-related callouts.
• The central stretch of the Pérez Galdós-Giorgeta corridor has reopened to traffic between Conca and Sant Vicent after 14 months of works, with full reopening due in September.
• The Generalitat has opened its 2026 Bono Alquiler Joven, offering renters aged 35 or under up to 250 euros a month for two years, worth up to 6,000 euros in total.
• Valencia endured a 39°C night after daytime highs of up to 45°C during this week's poniente heat episode, according to Noticias CV.

Today's essentials

Gátova evacuated as Calderona fire burns 133 hectares. The Generalitat Valenciana ordered the evacuation of the village of Gátova on Friday 21 August 2026 as a wildfire in the Serra Calderona natural park spread across 133 hectares near Segorbe, in the province of Castellón.

The blaze broke out on Thursday 20 August after lightning struck during storms over Segorbe, according to elDiario.es. What began as a single flashpoint has since forced authorities to close roads and move people out, turning a natural-park fire into a direct threat to a Valencia-province village on the other side of the range.

The figures come mainly from El Español, which reports 133 hectares burned, all within the Segorbe municipal boundary, and a fire perimeter of 7.8 kilometres. The same outlet, echoed by Castellón Plaza, says the PEIF forest-fire plan was raised to situation 2, the level triggered when there is a serious threat to people and property. From its side, esdiario.es details how Gátova (429 residents in the Camp de Túria comarca) was first confined by an ES-Alert sent to residents' phones, with the full evacuation order arriving about an hour later.

On the ground, El Español and TheObjective count 30 land units and 17 aircraft, 11 Generalitat forestry crews and the Valencia and Castellón fire consortiums, with the Generalitat also requesting support from the 3rd battalion of the military emergency unit UME, based in Bétera. The CV-25 has been cut at the affected zone toward Olocau and Bétera, a detail that matters for anyone driving in the inland Camp de Túria.

Both El Español and Libertad Digital describe the situation as far from controlled, with three active fronts in hard-to-reach terrain raising fears the fire could keep advancing. Hectare counts shifted during the day, from an earlier figure of around 120 to the more recent 133, a reminder that on a live fire the numbers move fast.

What this means for you: if you live in or plan to drive through the Camp de Túria or the Serra Calderona this weekend, avoid the CV-25 around Olocau and Bétera, keep windows shut if you smell smoke, and rely only on 112 and the official Emergències GVA channels rather than social media. Worth watching in the coming days, according to El Español and Castellón Plaza: whether the PEIF level is contained or climbs to situation 3, and when Gátova's confinement and evacuation can finally be lifted.

What you need to know

• Towns affected : Segorbe (province of Castellón), where the fire is burning inside the Serra Calderona natural park, and Gátova (429 residents, Camp de Túria comarca, province of Valencia), which was confined and then evacuated. Olocau and Bétera lie in the immediate vicinity.
• Roads closed or diverted : The CV-25 has been closed at the affected zone, in the direction of Olocau and Bétera, according to El Español.
• Official instructions : Gátova residents first received an ES-Alert on their phones early Friday afternoon telling them to stay indoors with doors, windows and vents shut and air conditioning off; the evacuation order followed roughly an hour later, according to esdiario.es and Castellón Plaza.
• Air quality : not available at this time
• Official numbers & channels : Emergencies line 112 and the official Generalitat Valenciana / Emergències GVA channels for confirmed updates.
• Last updated : Friday 21 August 2026, early afternoon, when the evacuation order was issued.

Situation ongoing: this article will be updated.

Weather today

Today's weather in Valencia. Open-Meteo puts today's Valencia forecast at overcast skies, with temperatures between 23 and 30°C and winds of up to 17 km/h.

Transport & traffic

• Storms batter the province with gusts near 150 km/h. elDiario.es reports that Thursday's storms left more than 80 litres of rain per square metre and gusts of almost 150 km/h across the province of Valencia. Firefighters from the Valencia provincial consortium handled around 120 wind-related callouts, concentrated in the Ribera area, dealing with fallen trees and material damage to structures. For anyone driving inland or commuting through l'Horta and the Ribera, that means downed branches and localised road hazards can linger after a storm passes, so it is worth checking your route before setting off rather than assuming the disruption ended with the rain.
• Pérez Galdós reopens its central stretch. The central section of the Pérez Galdós-Giorgeta corridor has reopened to traffic between Conca and Sant Vicent, with full reopening expected in September after 14 months of works, according to Valencia Extra and Hortanoticias. This is the most heavily worked-on avenue in Valencia in four decades, so the partial reopening is a real relief for drivers who have spent more than a year taking detours across the south of the city. If you regularly cross this axis, expect traffic patterns to keep shifting until the full reopening lands in September, when the whole corridor is due to carry normal flows again.

What's changing for you

• Youth rent aid worth up to 6,000 euros. The Generalitat Valenciana has opened its official 2026 Bono Alquiler Joven, offering renters aged 35 or under up to 250 euros a month for two years, worth up to 6,000 euros in total, according to Valencia Plaza. If you are 35 or younger and renting in the Comunitat Valenciana, this is money worth chasing: check the official convocatoria for the income limits and required paperwork, get your rental contract and registration in order, and file within the published deadline, because these subsidies typically run on a first-come, budget-limited basis and close once funds are exhausted.
• 76,700 storm drains cleared before the autumn rains. Hortanoticias reports that Valencia city has stepped up cleaning of its roughly 76,700 storm drains between June and September to prepare for the autumn rains. The push, run through the city's integrated water-cycle service, is aimed squarely at reducing flooding when the heavy October downpours arrive. On a practical level it is a reminder to keep the drains outside your own building and garage clear too, since blocked gutters and grates are what turn a normal storm into a flooded ground floor.

Local news to know

• A 39°C night after a day at 45°C. Valencia went through a night at 39°C, described as "dantesque", after daytime highs of up to 45°C during Wednesday 19 August's poniente heat episode, according to Noticias CV.
• Gátova evacuated as fire scorches the Serra Calderona. The regional emergency service, 112 Comunitat Valenciana, reported that a lightning-sparked wildfire has burned 133 hectares of the Serra Calderona natural park near Segorbe, forcing the evacuation of Gátova, cutting the CV-25 and pushing the emergency response to situation 2. Situation 2 is the second of three operational levels in the regional emergency plan, signalling a serious incident that may need resources beyond the immediate area, so the response is likely to keep growing while crews work the perimeter. If you live in or travel around the Camp de Morvedre and the northern edge of l'Horta, treat the CV-25 as closed, follow the instructions of the emergency services rather than social media, and stay clear of the Segorbe-Gátova axis until the authorities lift the restrictions.
• Sagunto's Sefardí September returns. Sagunto is again highlighting its Jewish heritage with a new edition of Septiembre Sefardí, where shopping or eating at local businesses in September earns a free guided tour of the town's Sephardic quarter, according to Valencia Bonita and Valencia Extra.
• Valencia CF open La Liga against Celta de Vigo. Las Provincias previews Rubén Corberán's Valencia CF opening their La Liga campaign against Celta de Vigo with several signings still to arrive, listing the kickoff time, likely line-ups and TV coverage.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow