Spain declares national emergency as wildfires force thousands of evacuations
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In total, more than 10,000 people have been evacuated in recent days from the Madrid region, where several forest fires are burning.
PHOTO: AFP
- Spain declared a national emergency for the first time due to wildfires, evacuating over 10,000 people near Madrid and Avila to manage the crisis.
- France evacuated 40,000 people from the Cap Ferret peninsula and requested EU firefighting support to combat a large blaze destroying 8,700 hectares.
- More than 350 fires have burned in Spain this year, with extensive emergency response teams deployed, highlighting the severity and unprecedented nature of the wildfires.
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MADRID – Spain declared a national emergency over wildfires for the first time on July 24, and France asked for help from the European Union to tackle a blaze on the Atlantic coast, as searing heat fuelled fires across Europe and forced tens of thousands of evacuations.
The French authorities ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, a tourism hot spot, because of a large wildfire. Some 40,000 people were evacuated from the area, many taken to safety by boat, officials said.
In Spain, more than 10,000 people were evacuated from towns in the mountains west of the capital Madrid, as three fires in the region and neighbouring Avila province prompted the government to declare a national emergency, which allows it to take charge of coordinating the response.
It was the first time such a measure has been taken because of a wildfire. The last time Spain declared the same level of emergency alert was during a massive nationwide power blackout in 2025.
‘Never seen anything like it’
In Navaluenga in Avila province, local residents wearing masks because of the smoke stood watching firefighting helicopters scoop up water from the town’s river late on July 23.
“I’ve lived here for 36 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it. Nor did I expect it. I thought they were going to get it under control last night, but it was already late, and it was all out of control,” local resident Javier Martin told Reuters.
A member of Spain's Military Emergency Unit fighting a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Madrid, on July 23, 2026.
PHOTO: AFP, UMEGOB/X
More than 270 emergency personnel and 40 ground units have been deployed in the affected areas, alongside several Military Emergency Unit contingents, Spanish officials said.
More than 350 fires have burned in Spain so far in 2026, according to the EU’s European Forest Fire Information System. In 2025, a record surface area was destroyed.
The French order for a total evacuation of the Cap Ferret area, which is home to many valuable properties and is currently full of tourists enjoying their summer vacations at campsites and rental homes, underlined the severity of the fire.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he had asked for firefighting support from the EU to help tackle the Cap Ferret blaze, which has already devastated 8,700ha.
“France has requested the activation of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism,” Macron wrote on X on July 24, adding that several specialist aircraft from other European countries should soon be on their way to help. REUTERS
