Spain declares national emergency as wildfires rage near Madrid, over 10,000 evacuated

Spain has declared a national emergency in the Madrid region and the neighbouring province of Avila as multiple wildfires continue to burn out of control, forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 people and prompting the deployment of military emergency units.

The emergency declaration, announced by the Interior Ministry late Thursday, places wildfire response operations under the command of Spain’s Military Emergency Unit to accelerate firefighting efforts.

Authorities have evacuated thousands across the Madrid region, with emergency alerts sent to 3,500 residents in Aldea de Fresno, around 60 kilometres west of the capital.

A separate wildfire that erupted in Avila province on Thursday continues to spread rapidly. Residents in the municipalities of Burgohondo, El Tiemblo and Navaluenga have been ordered to remain indoors, while about 1,500 people have been evacuated from a rural tourism complex and nearby residential area in El Tiemblo.

The largest blaze is burning in Guadalajara province, roughly 100 kilometres northeast of Madrid, where it has scorched around 32,000 hectares (80,000 acres) since last week.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government had mobilised all available resources to battle the fires affecting Avila, Leon, Toledo, Madrid and other parts of the country. He urged residents to remain vigilant and strictly follow official safety instructions.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), nearly 125,000 hectares have already burned in Spain this year, highlighting another severe wildfire season, though still below last year’s total of 393,000 hectares destroyed.