Spain declares first national wildfire emergency as 10,000 flee Madrid blazes

Spain's emergency declaration

Spain's interior ministry declared a national emergency on the night of 23 July after simultaneous wildfires threatened communities near Madrid and in the neighbouring province of Avila. It is the first time the mechanism, which places the response under the direct authority of the interior minister, has been activated for a wildfire. The regional government of Madrid had requested assistance, describing the situation as one of "extreme gravity". Active fires in Villa del Prado, San Martin de Valdeiglesias and Almorox, in neighbouring Castile-La Mancha, had the potential to advance beyond current extinguishing capacity, and the blaze in Burgohondo, Avila, could reach the Madrid region within hours.

The government has deployed every available resource to stop the terrible fires currently affecting numerous areas: Avila, Leon, Toledo, Madrid and other parts of Spain.

Evacuations and firefighting

More than 10,000 people were evacuated from Villa del Prado, San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa and Aldea del Fresno, according to the regional government. Another 3,500 people in Aldea de Fresno, about 60 kilometres from Madrid, received evacuation messages early on 24 July. More than 270 emergency personnel and 40 ground units have been deployed, alongside several contingents of the Military Emergency Unit. Spain's railway infrastructure operator ADIF suspended train traffic between Mejorada del Campo and Alcala de Henares, near Madrid, because of a wildfire close to the tracks, disrupting services on the high-speed line linking Madrid and Barcelona. Spain's meteorological agency warned of "extraordinary danger" with temperatures reaching 44C in some regions, while popular tourist spots around Malaga, Valencia and Alicante could see 42C.

France invokes EU mechanism

President Emmanuel Macron said on 24 July that the situation remained "extremely tense", particularly in Gironde, and France invoked the European Union's civil protection mechanism to request assistance. EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said the bloc was providing three water-bombing aircraft. More than 20,000 people, mostly tourists staying in campsites and holiday lets, have been evacuated since 22 July near Bordeaux as a fire ravaged a seaside pine forest. The fire was contained on its northern flank but not yet fully under control further south, with firefighters battling "house by house" to protect the tourist hub of Lege-Cap-Ferret.

Overnight, the fire spread more quickly than we had imagined.

Two firefighters were killed earlier in the week while tackling a blaze near Bordeaux airport. In south-eastern France, dozens of fires fanned by the mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac destroyed around 25 houses since 21 July.

The gendarmes came and knocked on every door, the fire was about 500 metres away - we grabbed some things and left.

Italy and the wider crisis

Thousands of emergency workers in Italy battled scores of fires in Sicily and the Calabria region. A 59-year-old firefighter died after falling ill while fighting a large wildfire near San Cataldo in Sicily. A local official said arsonists had started fires by tying rags soaked in flammable liquid to the tails of stray cats to spread the flames. The capital Palermo suffered blackouts as dramatic fires scorched the hills around Bivona in the central Agrigento province. Across the EU, the total area of land burnt so far this year is the second largest on record, according to satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System.

Climate and record heat

Scientists have linked the increasingly severe wildfire seasons in southern Europe to climate change. Abundant vegetation growth following unusually heavy spring rainfall dried out in extreme summer heat, creating fuel for rapidly spreading fires. Almost 125,000 hectares have already burnt in Spain this year, compared with 393,000 hectares for the whole of 2025, according to EFFIS. Thirteen people have died in Spain, making 2026 one of the deadliest wildfire seasons in decades. Wales became the first UK region to officially declare a drought amid record dry conditions, intense heatwaves and dwindling rivers.