Spain declares 211 areas emergency zones after wildfires burn 170,000 hectares and kill 13

National emergency milestone

The Spanish government declared 211 zones affected by civil protection emergencies on Tuesday, encompassing 14 autonomous communities. The majority of the 211 episodes are wildfires, though the declaration also includes floods, landslides, and industrial accidents that occurred between 31 March and 27 July 2026. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told reporters that over 170,000 hectares have burned so far this year, a figure six times higher than the area devastated during the same period last year.

And August and September are still ahead.

The package activates aid under Article 24 of Law 17/2015 of the National Civil Protection System. For the first time in Spanish history for wildfire emergencies, the government declared a "national emergency" on 23 July for fires in the Community of Madrid and the provinces of Ávila and Toledo. Those fires, along with the active blaze in Vall d'Uixó in Castellón province, are included in Tuesday's declaration.

The deadliest fire: Los Gallardos

The Council of Ministers highlighted the Los Gallardos fire in Almería province as one of the gravest episodes of the period. The official note described it as the worst due to its "personal and material consequences, with 13 people deceased." The human toll from this single fire weighed heavily on the government's decision to expedite the aid mechanisms currently managed by the Ministry of the Interior.

Aid measures activated

The declaration automatically unlocks a range of economic assistance managed by the Interior Ministry: compensation for death or disability, aid for repairing damage to homes and belongings, coverage for local government expenses, support for industrial, commercial and service establishments, and subsidies for persons or entities that provided personal services or goods during the emergency response. The package also foresees exemptions from traffic authority fees, including duplicate driving permits and registration documents, and from national identity card issuance fees.

Geographic spread

The affected communities span Andalusia, Aragon, the Balearic Islands, the Principality of Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, Castile and León, Catalonia, Galicia, La Rioja, the Community of Madrid, the Chartered Community of Navarre, the Basque Country, the Region of Murcia, and the Valencian Community. The Royal Decree includes the April fires in Ponteareas in Galicia and in Asturias, the May episodes in Rugat and Benidorm in Valencia, Santa Eulària des Riu and Can Anfos in Ibiza, and Òrrius in Catalonia, and the June wildfires in Murcia, A Coruña, Ourense, Castile and León, and Catalonia.

Other emergencies included

Beyond wildfires, the declaration covers heavy rain and storm episodes from May in Mallorca, Murcia and Catalonia, the collapse of a wall in Nalda, and the partial collapse of the castle wall of San Vicente de la Sonsierra in La Rioja. The Interior Ministry also cited industrial fires, hazardous goods transport accidents, and chemical or industrial incidents during the period. The Vall d'Uixó fire in Castellón, where extinction efforts remain ongoing, is included alongside the Madrid-Ávila-Toledo complex still under the national emergency umbrella.