Spain declares state of emergency in Madrid region as wildfires force 10,000 evacuations

State of emergency declared

In the early hours of Friday, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska declared a state of emergency in the Autonomous Community of Madrid and the neighbouring province of Avila. The decision, announced just after midnight, transferred operational command of firefighting efforts to the head of the Military Emergency Unit (UME). The ministry said the move was driven by the urgent need for central government services to take control of the battle against the flames raging in the centre of the country. At the time of the declaration, three large wildfires were burning out of control, threatening towns and key transport links.

Evacuations and damage

More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from the Madrid region since Thursday, according to interior ministry estimates. Residents of Villa del Prado, San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa, and Aldea del Fresno were ordered to leave their homes as flames approached. One woman from Villa del Prado recounted how a neighbour's call about smoke turned into a race to escape: within half an hour, a thin column of smoke became a wall of fire, and her family fled by car. In Avila province, nearly 8,000 villagers in communities near Burgohondo were told to stay indoors with windows shut rather than evacuate, as the fire front neared. An earlier blaze that started on Wednesday in Toledo province and crossed into the Madrid region has left 700 people from El Encinar del Alberche unable to return home.

600 of the 850 hectares burned are in my region. At least 26 homes have been completely or partially destroyed.

The head of the Madrid region, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, said the majority of the damage was within her jurisdiction. The regional government maintained a second-level alert, indicating danger to life and property and the need for large-scale firefighting resources.

Transport paralysed

The proximity of flames forced the suspension of high-speed rail services between Madrid and Barcelona for several hours on Thursday. Suburban train lines connecting Mejorada del Campo and Alcala de Henares were also halted, disrupting commuters who travel to the capital for work. Several intercity bus routes were cancelled and roads were closed. Transport Minister Oscar Puente acknowledged the growing frequency of such disruptions.

This is a reality we will unfortunately have to live with, because the number of fires in Spain has increased.

Wider fire crisis

Firefighters across Spain are battling around 100 active blazes. In Guadalajara province, in the Castile-La Mancha region, crews have been fighting a fire for a week; it is the second-largest wildfire in Spain since records began. Some evacuees there have been allowed to return as the situation stabilised. In Huelva, Andalusia, 384 residents evacuated earlier were given permission to go home, though firefighting continues. Catalonia remains on high alert due to extreme temperatures and fire risk. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), nearly 125,000 hectares of woodland have burned in Spain so far this year.

## Outlook

Weather conditions remain extreme, with high temperatures, wind, and dry terrain fuelling the fires. The second-level alert across the Madrid region stays in place, and authorities warn that the risk of further spread is high. The military emergency unit now coordinating the response faces a complex operation as multiple fronts continue to advance.