Spain declares national emergency as wildfires near Madrid force 10,000 evacuations; France requests EU firefighting planes

Spain declares national emergency

Multiple wildfires are burning out of control in the Madrid region, with the closest flames just 50 kilometres from the capital. On Thursday night, the Spanish government declared a "state of emergency of national interest" in the Madrid region and the neighbouring province of Ávila. The measure, announced by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, centralises crisis management under the Military Emergency Unit (UME) and allows the state to mobilise additional resources. In Spain's highly decentralised system, firefighting normally falls to regional authorities, but the Interior Ministry cited the simultaneity of the fires, particularly unfavourable weather conditions, and the complexity of extinction and civil protection operations as reasons for the state to take over coordination. More than 270 firefighters and soldiers are deployed, and several municipalities remain confined.

We are living a dramatic situation, not only in different Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighbouring countries. Forest fires are ravaging thousands of hectares and affecting many towns and villages.

The declaration followed a request from Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who warned that weather conditions on Friday would be unfavourable.

Reinforcing support at the national and even international level is necessary.

Fires advance rapidly in heatwave

The fires are being driven by a heatwave that has gripped Spain for two days, with strong winds complicating firefighting efforts. The largest blaze, in Guadalajara province about 100 kilometres north of Madrid, has consumed 32,000 hectares since it started on 17 July. In Ávila, a fire that began on Thursday has forced the confinement of three municipalities and the evacuation of 1,500 people. In Castile and León, firefighters are making progress against fires near the Portuguese border at Rábano de Aliste and Retortillo. Across Spain, nearly 130,000 hectares have burned since 1 January, according to BFMTV; Le Soir reports a figure close to 125,000 hectares. The fires are spreading rapidly, especially in desert areas where dry brush acts as ideal fuel.

Evacuations and EU assistance

Around 10,000 people have been evacuated from the Madrid region. On Friday morning, Spain requested four aerial firefighting units from the European Union, and Greece confirmed it would send two Canadair water bombers. The fires were still not under control on Friday morning, though their overnight advance was described as limited by local authorities.

France battles fires in Gironde

In southwestern France, a wildfire that started on Wednesday in the Landes de Gascogne forest has burned 4,800 hectares and forced more than 20,000 evacuations near the Arcachon basin. President Emmanuel Macron announced the activation of the EU civil protection mechanism, securing two Croatian Canadairs, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, and two Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The European Commission had already deployed three firefighting aircraft on Thursday after France's initial request, according to Commissioner Hadja Lahbib.

The situation remains under very high tension in the face of the fires hitting the country, particularly in Gironde.

Some 800 firefighters are on the ground, joined by military and gendarme units. The defence of Lège-Cap-Ferret is being conducted "island by island, house by house," said Marc Vermeulen, head of firefighting in Gironde. Several houses have burned, and the prefecture ordered the evacuation of several villages on the Cap-Ferret peninsula early Friday after flames crossed a firebreak around 1 a.m. Further south, another fire near Biscarosse has covered more than 1,000 hectares, prompting 9,000 evacuations.

A severe fire season for Europe

The year 2026 is currently the second-worst for burned area in the European Union in two decades of satellite measurements, according to an AFP analysis of European Forest Fire Information System data. It is the worst year on record for France, and among the worst for Spain and Italy.