Spain declares national emergency in Madrid due to wildfires

Spain declared a national state of emergency late Thursday in the Madrid region and the neighboring province of Ávila, following wildfires that have gotten out of control.

The measure, announced by the Ministry of the Interior, aims to accelerate the mobilization of resources for firefighting and places responsibility for managing the crisis in the hands of a military emergency unit.

More than 10,000 people have been evacuated in recent days from various parts of the Madrid region, where multiple wildfires are burning simultaneously.

Spanish media reports indicated that the fire that broke out on Thursday in Ávila is spreading rapidly, and residents in the municipalities of Burgohondo, El Tiemblo, and Navalperal de Pinares have been ordered to stay indoors.

Additionally, the newspaper El País reported that 1,500 people were evacuated from a rural tourism complex and a residential complex in El Tiemblo due to the rapid advance of the flames.

The largest fire is raging opposite Madrid, specifically in the province of Guadalajara, about 100 kilometers north of the capital, having consumed 32,000 hectares since it broke out last Thursday.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on the X platform, “The government has deployed all available resources to stop the terrifying fires currently affecting many areas, including Ávila, León, Toledo, Madrid, and other parts of Spain,” urging residents to exercise “the utmost caution” and comply with authorities’ instructions.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), wildfires have consumed approximately 125,000 hectares in Spain this year, compared to around 393,000 hectares throughout all of 2025.