Overview
- A rear traction unit on an AVE running from Madrid to Figueres caught fire between Ricla and Plasencia de Jalón, forcing the on-track evacuation of the 283 people aboard and prompting firefighters and Guardia Civil to attend.
- No serious injuries were reported and two people were treated for dizziness, but the rear locomotive and the adjacent passenger coach were heavily damaged by the flames.
- The blaze cut power to the catenary and halted high-speed traffic in both directions, causing dozens of train cancellations and detentions that affected thousands of travellers on a peak holiday return day.
- After Adif inspected the scene it cleared one of the two tracks for one-way running and Renfe began a progressive restoration of service by single-track while the damaged convoy remains on site pending removal.
- Operators have opened free changes and refunds and provided some buses for re-accommodation, and investigators are examining whether the origin was a rolling-stock fault or infrastructure damage as disruption continues.