Santa Maria fire reignites, 4 neighbours evacuated

Today's essentials (4 key points)

• Open-Meteo forecasts an overcast day across the Balearic Islands, with temperatures between 23 and 32 degrees and light winds of up to 11 km/h.
• Menorca closed August with its water reserves at 33 percent, the lowest level in a decade, yet the regional Govern chose not to declare a drought alert, Es Diari reports.
• Tunisian activist Wael Nawar of the Global Sumud Flotilla is in a critical condition after 21 days on hunger strike in Tunisia, according to Diario de Mallorca and Diario de Ibiza.
• People hit by the cancellation of the Menorca Music Festival have started receiving refunds after organising to press their claims, Es Diari reports.

Today's essentials

Santa Maria fire reignites, 4 neighbours evacuated. A fire in abandoned, squatter-occupied cowsheds off the Camí de Son Montserrat in Santa Maria del Camí (Mallorca) flared up again around 4pm on Saturday, hours after crews had stood down, and was brought back under control around 6pm, according to Ultima Hora.

The blaze first broke out at about 2:25am, Ultima Hora reports, in disused cowsheds (vaquerías) that neighbours say have been occupied by several squatter families for months. Firefighters had it in hand by early afternoon and withdrew at 1pm, only for the fire to reignite around 4pm. The source does not explain why it flared up again.

The initial response drew crews from the Inca and Sóller stations. When the fire restarted, Ultima Hora lists a different line-up: firefighters from Inca and Calvià, the 'La Milana' helicopter, a sergeant and personnel from the Balearic nature institute (Ibanat). The two dispatches differ on which stations were mobilised, and it is not clear whether the deployment genuinely changed or one account is imprecise, so both are worth noting rather than merged.

Four people were evacuated as a precaution from nearby homes because of a dense column of smoke. No injuries have been reported, and the incident is classified as an agricultural fire. The Guardia Civil has taken over the investigation into what started it; the exact area burned has not been given.

What this means for you: if you live in or around Santa Maria del Camí, expect a lingering smell of smoke and a possible emergency-services presence into the evening, and keep windows closed nearby until the air clears. There is no evacuation order beyond the four homes already cleared, and no main-road closures have been reported, so travel through the area should be unaffected.

What you need to know

• Towns affected : Santa Maria del Camí, on Mallorca, at abandoned cowsheds (vaquerías) reached via the Camí de Son Montserrat, according to Ultima Hora.
• Roads closed or diverted : Not disclosed at this time: no road closures or diversions are mentioned in the available reports.
• Official instructions : Four people were evacuated as a precaution from neighbouring homes because of a dense column of smoke, according to Ultima Hora. No wider confinement or evacuation perimeter is reported.
• Air quality : Ultima Hora describes a thick column of smoke over the area; no official air-quality reading has been published. If you live nearby, keeping windows shut while smoke lingers is a sensible precaution.
• Official numbers & channels : 112 for general emergencies. Bombers de Mallorca and the Balearic nature institute (Ibanat) handled the response, and the Guardia Civil has taken charge of investigating the cause, according to Ultima Hora.
• Last updated : Around 6pm on Saturday 5 September 2026, when the fire was brought back under control, according to Ultima Hora.

Situation ongoing: this article will be updated.

Weather today

Overcast day, 23 to 32 degrees. The Balearic Islands face an overcast day with temperatures between 23 and 32 degrees and light winds of up to 11 km/h, according to Open-Meteo.

Transport & traffic

No transport or traffic incidents reported at time of publication.

What's changing for you

• Where to eat well on a menú del día in Palma. A newcomer asking on Reddit's r/mallorca how to find good-value menús del día in Palma is a reminder that the fixed-price weekday lunch is the single best deal for eating out in Spain. The menú del día is a set lunch, typically a starter, main, drink and dessert or coffee for one fixed price, served on weekday middays rather than in the evening. It is the cheapest way to eat a proper cooked meal out, and most neighbourhood spots away from the tourist strips post the day's options on a board or chalkboard by the door. If you have just moved, ask at the bar whether they do it para llevar (takeaway) too, as many will.
• Menorca water reserves at 33 percent, no alert declared. Es Diari reports that Menorca ended August with its water reserves at 33 percent, the lowest figure in a decade, but the regional Govern has chosen not to declare a drought alert. The level is barely a point below June and July, so the situation is being held rather than escalated for now. There is no formal restriction to comply with, but if you live on Menorca it is worth treating water carefully anyway, and keeping an eye out for any change in status if the reserves keep drifting down through the autumn.

Local news to know

• FirONA marks 30 years of Diari de Balears. Es Baluard Museu in Palma hosted FirONA 2026, a festive and campaigning day organised by Diari de Balears and the Associació Ona Mediterrània to mark the paper's thirtieth anniversary and honour social movements, according to Ultima Hora.
• Director María Guerra: 'making films is a very strange thing'. Film director María Guerra told the 'Las voces del rodaje' talk in Ibiza that directing is like giving birth to an elephant, as around a dozen industry professionals discussed their craft, Diario de Ibiza reports.
• Gasifred wins final pre-season friendly. Gasifred Atlético Ibiza closed its pre-season with a comfortable win while presenting its new squad to fans, Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera reports.
• Flotilla activist critical after 21 days on hunger strike. The Global Sumud Flotilla says Tunisian activist Wael Nawar is in a critical condition after 21 days on hunger strike in Tunisia, in protest at his earlier detention, according to Diario de Mallorca and Diario de Ibiza.

Tonight and tomorrow, the Balearic Islands

• Menorca Music Festival refunds begin. People affected by the cancelled Menorca Music Festival have started receiving refunds after organising through an Instagram account and a WhatsApp group to press their claims, according to Es Diari. If you were holding a ticket, this is the moment to check your payment method for the refund and, if nothing arrives, join the affected-buyers group that got the process moving.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow