A fire at a photovoltaic plant located in the municipality of Puertollano, central Spain, affected around 90 hectares and forced the deployment of a large firefighting operation.

According to the mayor of Puertollano, Miguel Ángel Ruiz, the fire originated in one of the large photovoltaic installations located next to the N-420 highway. The first warning was issued by the company operating the plant itself.

The fire broke out around 13:00 last Wednesday (July 22). At the time, three workers were on site and attempted to contain the fire. A 51-year old man suffered burns and required initial treatment from a mobile intensive care unit before being airlifted by helicopter to Getafe Hospital.

The cause of the fire has not yet been reported. The relevant authorities will need to determine whether it originated from electrical equipment, components of the photovoltaic plant, or other external factors.

Minister of Sustainable Development for the region of Castilla-La Mancha, Mercedes Gómez, explained that the fire was already contained and under control by Thursday morning and stressed that one of the main objectives of the intervention was to prevent the flames from reaching nearby industrial facilities and to guarantee the safety of the surrounding area.

The flames did not significantly reach the forest mass of the Dehesa Boyal park, one of the main natural areas near the city.

A total eight aircrafts and up to 24 ground vehicles participated in the firefighting efforts, mobilizing up to 129 people, including forest firefighters, environmental agents and support personnel.

Throughout Thursday, several ground teams remained in the area carrying out cooling operations to prevent possible flare-ups of the fire.