MORE than 45,000 people have been evacuated or ordered to stay indoors as officials warn a massive wildfire near Madrid is ‘beyond firefighting capacity.‘
Madrid regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso said on Friday that several fire fronts west of the capital were proving too large for firefighters to bring under control, adding that the priority was now to ‘save lives.’
The Spanish government declared a national emergency – the first in the country’s history for a natural disaster, and only the second overall – as three simultaneous fires scorched 12,000 hectares of countryside on Friday.
The blazes in Villa del Prado, San Martin de Valdeiglesias and Burgohondo have since merged into one, with Ayuso describing the crisis as ‘the worst fire in the region’s history.’
Officials say the fire is now close to merging with yet another blaze near Avila, sparking concern a much larger active front would be even harder to contain.
The central government’s delegate in neighbouring Castilla y Leon, Nicanor Sen, said strong winds and dry conditions were making it ‘very difficult’ to bring the flames under control.
He warned it would be ‘very bad news’ if the fires merged, and that they could pose ‘a very significant risk to tens of thousands of people.’
In one of the worst-hit towns, Villa del Prado, the fire destroyed 43 homes and damaged a further 286.
Hundreds of firefighters have been battling the flames since late Thursday, supported by eight aircraft and dozens of ground vehicles.
Italy and Greece have each pledged to dispatch two firefighting aircraft after Spain’s central government requested help from the EU, with the planes expected to arrive on Saturday.
Personnel from Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) have carried out controlled burns in Navas del Rey, around 60km west of Madrid.
The technique is used to remove forest fuel and help slow the advance of a wildfire.
The Guardia Civil has arrested one person and is investigating another for gross negligence over the Burgohondo wildfire, which was allegedly sparked by the use of heavy machinery in an area where it was prohibited.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is expected to visit the wildfire command centre in Cenicientos at 10am on Saturday as the emergency response continues.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska declared the national emergency late on Thursday as the simultaneous fires first threatened to spiral out of control.
The only other time Spain has declared a national emergency was on April 28, 2025, when a massive blackout left millions of people across the country without electricity for more than 10 hours.
The measure means operations are coordinated directly by the central government rather than individual regions, while also allowing Spain to request international assistance.
The dramatic escalation in Madrid comes as Spain reels from multiple active fire fronts across the country, with emergency services continuing to tackle blazes in Guadalajara, Leon and Huelva.
More than 1,300 square kilometres of countryside have already been lost to fire this year, according to the EU’s fire monitoring system, Copernicus.
That is more than two and a half times the average for the past 20 years.
The Guadalajara wildfire alone — Spain’s largest this year and the second-largest in the country’s recorded history — has scorched 350 square kilometres since breaking out a week ago.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from 34 towns in the affected area, while around 200 firefighters continued tackling the blaze on Thursday.
Spain has already recorded 355 wildfires this year, according to Copernicus — 25 more than at the same point last year, which went on to become the country’s worst wildfire season on record, with nearly 4,000 square kilometres burned by December 31.
As of earlier this week, more than 20 of this year’s fires had been classified as ‘major,’ meaning each had burned at least five square kilometres.
In early July, a deadly blaze in Almeria province killed 13 people — 12 of them expats, including seven Britons — and forced more than 1,500 people to flee their homes.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Guadalajara on Wednesday as firefighters continued battling the blaze, calling on all political parties to unite in the fight against climate change.
“Year after year we clearly see how climate change kills and destroys wealth in our communities,” he said.
“This is not politics. It is science. It is about facts.”
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