Spain declares national emergency over forest fires near Madrid

(Bloomberg) — The Spanish government has declared a national state of emergency after wildfires raged on the outskirts of the capital Madrid, prompting evacuations and road closures. This is the first time a national state of emergency has been declared due to wildfires.

A state of emergency has been declared due to fires in the Madrid area and also in the province of Ávila, the interior ministry said. More than 10,000 people were evacuated from towns just 50 kilometers from Madrid, with more than 270 rescuers trying to put out the fire, Madrid’s emergency services agency said on X. About 1,500 people were evacuated in Ávila. Several motorways were closed, including sections of the M507 and M501.

By declaring a national emergency, the Spanish government took control of the emergency response, with the Ministry of the Interior coordinating efforts and the country’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) managing field operations. While a national state of emergency has been declared only for the fires in the Madrid and Avila area, other fires remain active across the country.

“Very adverse meteorological conditions are expected tomorrow,” wrote the president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, in a post on X on Thursday evening. “It is necessary to strengthen national and even international support for these fires.”

Extremely high temperatures make firefighting difficult. The third heat wave of the season brings temperatures of 40°C (104°F) in central Spain and yellow, red and amber alerts in the country’s central and eastern provinces, according to weather agency Aemet.

Last week was the worst fires of the year in all of Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. A total of 124,969 hectares have burned in the country so far in 2026, more than three times the average over the past two decades. The fires around Madrid are some of the most critical in the country, with one in Guadalajara burning more than 32,000 hectares.

According to a satellite image shared by Aemet on X, a plume of smoke from the fires can be seen passing due to the wind across the Iberian Peninsula.

–With assistance from Sabrina Nelson Garcinuño.

(Update with context throughout.)

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