Spain declares national emergency as wildfires force 10,000 to evacuate

Spain declared its first national emergency ever linked to a wildfire after blazes near Madrid and in Avila forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate and pushed the Interior Ministry into direct coordination of the response. The move brought more than 270 emergency personnel, 40 ground units and several Military Emergency Unit contingents into the affected areas.

The emergency covered the Community of Madrid and Avila province, where adverse weather and multiple simultaneous outbreaks strained crews in the heat and wind. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the declaration was triggered by the combination of several fires and worsening conditions as authorities tried to shield towns on the capital's edge and nearby population centers.

One of the most disruptive fires broke out near Almorox, southwest of Madrid, on July 22. Authorities sent mobile-phone alert messages twice to residents in the area as the blaze spread rapidly, and firefighters were near Almorox, San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Burgohondo while the fireline advanced toward residential areas.

The evacuation order spread across a cluster of municipalities that sit between Madrid and the rural hills around Avila, including Villa del Prado, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa, Aldea del Fresno and Burgohondo, along with areas near the Burgohondo mountains.

Spain's response came against a wider summer of fire across southern Europe. More than 100,000 hectares had burned in Spain so far in 2026, roughly the country's average annual burned area over the previous decade.