Battery-Plant Fire Locks Down Azuqueca and Four Nearby Towns for Third Day

Regional authorities in Castilla-La Mancha have kept a health alert in place for a third consecutive day after a fire at a lithium-battery recycling plant in Azuqueca de Henares, Guadalajara, released a dense plume of potentially toxic smoke. The blaze erupted on Friday evening following several explosions in the El Rábano industrial estate, prompting the province-wide activation of the Plan Territorial de Emergencia (Platecam) at 20:15. Residents of Azuqueca de Henares, Villanueva de la Torre, Alovera, the Albolleque industrial park in Chiloeches and the industrial zone of Cabanillas del Campo have been urged to remain indoors with windows closed and air-conditioning switched off. With temperatures hovering around 36 °C, local councils have cancelled outdoor events and closed municipal facilities, including Azuqueca’s public swimming pool, to limit exposure to the smoke. The Community of Madrid has also triggered its own emergency plan, Platercam Level 0, advising people in nearby Alcalá de Henares and Meco to avoid outdoor activity as shifting winds carry the plume across the regional border. A team of six firefighters supported by two engines, Civil Protection volunteers and the Red Cross continues to cool battery containers and monitor hotspots. Two people have required medical attention, among them a 37-year-old firefighter who was taken to hospital. Officials warn that confinement recommendations are likely to stay in force until the material stops smouldering and air-quality readings improve.