Spain announces that firefighting is complex and priority is saving lives; France breaks record for area burned
The year 2026 has broken the record for the largest area of burned land in France, while Spain announced that efforts to extinguish raging fires near Madrid are complicated, following statements that the blazes are out of control.
According to data from satellites belonging to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), France has surpassed the total burned area recorded in 2022, with fires still raging out of control in the Gironde and Landes regions.
According to the European system, approximately 69,473 hectares have burned in France since the beginning of the year, compared to just over 66,300 hectares in 2022.
Unlike in 2022, the EFFIS system also detected massive forest fires in February 2026, a month traditionally considered a period for controlled burns (clearing weeds and shrubs by fire) and intentional fires set by firefighters to clear forests. This month is also the worst July on record in mainland France since data recording began in 2006.
An official warned that an “unprecedented” forest fire in southwestern France is heading toward the city of Bordeaux.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the priority in combating the forest fires surrounding the capital, Madrid, is “saving lives,” warning that extinguishing the flames would be a complex matter.
Sánchez told journalists in a village within the fire zone, “Our priority, our thinking, and our goal is to save your lives and protect populated areas,” adding, “We will face difficult hours. Although temperatures have dropped, we do not know exactly how the winds will develop or how strong they will be.”
Approximately 63,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes or shelter indoors, according to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, due to the fire, which officials described as the worst in the region’s history.
Thick gray smoke spread over the western part of the capital, and the smell of the fire reached the streets of central Madrid.
Francisco Martín, the central government’s delegate in Madrid, warned that Saturday would be a “difficult” day, with expectations of stronger winds.
Earlier, Carlos Novio, the emergency management official for the regional government of Madrid, told journalists on Friday that the fire had “reached its peak” and that it was “impossible to extinguish,” after two separate fires merged into one massive blaze.
Massive forest fires forced NASA to evacuate one of its three global deep-space communication facilities in Spain, affecting the US agency’s ability to communicate with space probes.
The Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex in Robledo is located about 65 kilometers west of central Madrid, according to a NASA spokesperson who told Agence France-Presse in a statement.
The US space agency stated that “the fire passed through the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex, and any potential damage will be assessed when it is safe to do so,” adding that “all personnel have been evacuated.”
The Madrid complex is part of the Deep Space Network, one of three sites that allow NASA to communicate with its spacecraft exploring distant parts of the galaxy.
