Sheep as firefighters and portable transmitters: the formula for reducing wildfires in Casa de Campo, Madrid

The region of Madrid was warned about temperatures reaching 40C in some parts on Tuesday. Despite the heat, however, fires in the Casa de Campo - one of the areas most prone to such incidents - have dropped by 85% in the last 24 years.

This means that the forestry services have to intervene less frequently. They are still on standby 24 hours a day, ready to participate in the summer campaign.

The Casa de Campo area used to give the forest services headaches a few years ago, but the situation is more under control nowadays. Only the equivalent of 1% of the area that was burnt in 2001 was affected by fires in 2024. The prevention work carried out throughout the years has significantly contributed to this decrease.

Prevention tasks include: maintenance of 128 kilometres of firebreaks; clearing of 1,400 hectares; pruning. In addition, a herd of 450 sheep serves to reduce weeds through consumption, which makes the ground less prone to catching fire. There have only been two minor outbreaks so far this summer, linked to carelessness and arson.

The firefighting campaign this summer relies on three rapid-response teams. The monitoring action lasts six months. The city council has increased "materials, economic and human resources".

Head of the Casa de Campo fire station Manuel Hidalgo says that the extension of overall resources has been noticed in the small number of fires in an areaa that is prone to them due to winds and high temperatures.

The forest service's job is to monitor the area and notice if there is smoke. The teams are then sent to make the initial effort. If necessary, the Madrid fire brigade is called for support.

During the hottest hours (from 12pm onwards), up to four teams are working at the Casa de Campo watchtower, which is now equipped with an air conditioner - a request that was ignored for years.