Latest news on wildfires in Spain, live | Firefighting teams race against time in the Madrid fire before the arrival of another heatwave

Two new reception points in Boadilla del Monte and Collado Villalba

The Community of Madrid has opened two new reception points in Boadilla del Monte and Collado Villalba to receive evacuees from fires in the Sierra Oeste. Thus, the regional government has increased to 21 the devices in 18 municipalities, with a total of 2,701 displaced people attended.

The points, enabled in coordination with the town councils, are distributed among:

– Móstoles (400, in three points)
– Las Rozas (320)
– Villaviciosa de Odón (260)
– Alcalá de Henares (250)
– Villamanta (220)
– Brunete (197, in two points)
– Leganés (185)
– Getafe (162)
– Alcorcón (130)
– Boadilla del Monte (125)
– Sevilla la Nueva (100)
– Alcobendas (100)
– Villanueva de la Cañada (89)
– ⁠Collado Villalba (40)
– Pozuelo de Alarcón (37)
– Villanueva de Perales (35)
– Villamantilla (33)
– Navalcarnero (18)

The Government orders the temporary suspension of harvesting work with machinery in Ávila, Madrid and Toledo

The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has signed an order establishing the temporary suspension of harvesting work using agricultural machinery. The measure affects the Community of Madrid and the provinces of Ávila and Toledo, where the fire has ravaged 77,000 hectares.

Large smoke cloud floods much of the province of Ávila and reaches the capital of Ávila

A huge cloud of smoke, coming from the fires in southern Ávila and eastern Community of Madrid, reaches much of the province of Ávila, including the capital, where the air is unbreathable, something that, along with the heat, has contributed to emptying the streets. In fact, among the few residents seen on the streets of this World Heritage City, some wear masks to protect themselves from smoke that makes the capital disappear for those in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Sonsoles, about 5 kilometers from the urban area.

The strong smell of smoke is not only detectable in the capital, located about 50 or 60 kilometers from the fires, but also in the southern half of the province and part of the northern half, where a kind of thick fog invades the entire route from the Tiétar Valley to Ávila. Even in the areas of the Burgohondo fire, which on Sunday were much clearer, such as Navaluenga or El Tiemblo, this Monday they again looked like last Friday, when the situation was critical and smoke flooded these towns. Now, the smoke has spread north from the Alberche and Tiétar valleys, as well as east, due to the influence of the fires in the Community of Madrid. (Efe)

FOREST FIRES

The air quality in Madrid is “very good” due to the east wind

The citizen of Madrid who opened the air quality information portals this Monday, both municipal and regional, would have been very surprised, actually observable at a glance just by looking at the sky: it is blue again, the air quality is good, that disturbing gray haze at certain hours is no longer there, it no longer seems like a distressing ochre western movie at other times. But how can it be good, if since Wednesday the Sierra Oeste, Ávila and Toledo have been burning? It is the east wind, which is carrying all the smoke and pollutant particles in the opposite direction, to the west.

The regional government has already distributed 75,000 kilos of forage to supply livestock farms affected by the fire in Madrid

The Community of Madrid has already distributed 75,000 kilos of forage to supply livestock farms affected by the fire in the Sierra Oeste. The regional government has made the distribution in Pelayos de la Presa for farms in the area and in Colmenar del Arroyo in an extensive livestock farm with more than 740 hectares of affected pasture. On Sunday, President Isabel Díaz Ayuso announced the aid consisting of 300 tons of forage and 10 water tanks of 1,000 liters.

Forest Fires

Maps | Satellite data and images show how the wind transformed the fires in Ávila and Madrid

The more than 45,000 hectares burned by the Burgohondo (Ávila) fire are perfectly visible from satellites. In the map at the top of this news, the image taken at 1 p.m. on Sunday with short-wave infrared (SWIR) is seen: a band of the spectrum invisible to the eye that penetrates smoke and highlights active fire and burned terrain. To the right of the image, the fires of the Sierra Oeste, started in the Community of Madrid, of more than 19,000 hectares. The heads of both fires have joined at the height of the San Juan reservoir.

You can read the full information here

The fires have affected more than 170,000 hectares so far this year

By Diego Rojas Castillo. The Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, estimated this Monday that more than 170,000 hectares have been affected by forest fires recorded in Spain so far this year. This is a number six times greater than the hectares affected in 2025, a year the minister recalled as “extraordinarily complicated in terms of fires.”

Aagesen emphasized that the data on active fires supports that the current context is more complicated. “We are living through a very extreme meteorological situation. As AEMET has just announced today, we will suffer the fourth heat wave of the summer. It will start on Wednesday and last at least until Sunday, which leads us to a much greater fire risk situation,” she warned.

A new fire coming from Madrid threatens a housing development and the pine forests near Cebreros and El Tiemblo

A new fire in the Valdesanmartín housing development, El Tiemblo, has affected a dense forested area from where a large column of smoke rises, as can be seen in a video posted on X from the site by El País journalist Juan Navarro.

“There are houses nearby, it will depend on the wind. The flames came yesterday from San Martín de Valdeiglesias, a hot spot in this area of southern Ávila near Madrid, by the San Juan reservoir,” Navarro described.

The police accompany a blind child rescued from one of the towns affected by the fire

The National Police has shared a video showing Bilal, a four-year-old blind boy, who has been relocated to Alcobendas from one of the towns affected by the Sierra Oeste forest fire, walking dressed in a police vest among officers and exploring a patrol car.

Fires keep 91,149 people evacuated or confined between Ávila, Madrid and Toledo

Forest fires keep 91,149 people evacuated or confined between the provinces of Ávila, Madrid and Toledo, according to the latest update from authorities. Only in the Community of Madrid remain 31,865 evacuated and 20,262 confined, raising to 52,127 the number of people affected by protection measures in the region, according to a statement released by the Government Delegation on its X profile.

In the Community of Madrid, the municipalities of Chapinería, Navas del Rey, Colmenar del Arroyo, Fresnedillas de la Oliva, Robledo de Chavela, Navalagamella, Aldea del Fresno, Zarzalejo, Peralejo, Rozas de Puerto Real, Cadalso de los Vidrios, Cenicientos and Valdemaqueda remain evacuated. San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Villa del Prado and Pelayos de la Presa remain confined. The Government Delegation insists that respecting evacuation and confinement orders is “essential” to guarantee the safety of the population.

13 roads remain closed in the Community of Madrid

The Government Delegation has published on X that “at this moment 13 roads remain closed” in the Community of Madrid, while recommending avoiding travel through the affected areas.

The affected roads are: M-501: Navas del Rey – Venta del Cojo; M-507: Aldea del Fresno – Villa del Prado (increasing direction) and Villa del Prado – Parque Romillo (both directions); M-510: Valdemorillo – Dehesa de Hernán Vicente; M-512: Robledondo – Robledo de Chavela (increasing direction) and Robledo de Chavela (both directions); M-521: Quijorna – Navalagamella; M-531: Colmenar del Arroyo – Robledo de Chavela; M-533: El Alcor – Zarzalejo (increasing direction); M-537: Robledo de Chavela; M-539: Robledo de Chavela – El Quexigal; M-540: Villa del Prado – Cruz Verde; M-541: Pelayos de la Presa – San Martín de Valdeiglesias; M-548: Cenicientos – Encinar de la Parra; M-855: Navas del Rey – La Rocha (increasing direction); M-957: San Martín de Valdeiglesias – Costa de Madrid.

The Health Department of Castilla y León issues recommendations to protect against fire smoke

The General Directorate of Public Health of the Junta de Castilla y León has issued, through the Emergencies 112 profile on X, a series of recommendations to reduce the risks associated with exposure to forest fire smoke. Among them, it advises staying indoors with doors and windows closed, minimizing outdoor activities, and using an FFP2 mask if it is necessary to go outside.

Health also recommends protecting the eyes, avoiding generating smoke inside homes — for example, by smoking or lighting candles — and keeping the air conditioning in recirculation mode with clean filters. Additionally, it reminds that smoke can cause coughing, irritation of eyes, nose and throat, difficulty breathing, chest pain or tightness, headache and fatigue, and advises at-risk people to consult their doctor if symptoms worsen.

García-Page reiterates that there are no shortages of resources against fires and values institutional collaboration

The president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, insisted this Monday that there are no shortages of resources to combat fires and valued the collaboration between administrations, since, despite the “political noise” sometimes transmitted, “it is being enormously effective.”

García-Page expressed this in an audio sent by the Junta de Comunidades on the occasion of his visit to the advanced command post in La Iglesuela, Toledo, where he assured that “we must be calm” regarding the level of coordination.

The regional president explained that in this area work is being done from a dual perspective: supporting Ávila and Madrid and, at the same time, establishing “a defensive line” so that these fires “stop in the south.”

He also pointed out that in this area “30 kilometers have been perimetrized, which is the objective set by the operational command,” so “there is reasonable calm,” but they are “very attentive to the evolution” towards Mijares, where efforts are focused today. (Efe)

Health centers in Villa del Prado, San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa reopened

The Community of Madrid reopened this Monday the health centers of Villa del Prado, San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa, which had been closed due to the fires. The Continuous Care Points (PAC) of Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias also return to their usual schedule, while the health center of Valdemaqueda closes again after confirming the evacuation of the municipality.

The Health Department reports that the Madrid Health Service (Sermas) has already provided more than 1,300 health care services, including 285 in primary care, 217 in hospitals — mainly for respiratory problems — and 18 hospital admissions, none serious.

Additionally, Summa 112 has carried out 216 health assists, 36 hospital transfers and 529 interventions related to evacuations, while the Community keeps the Enfermera Isabel Zendal Hospital operational as a reference center and guarantees the dispensing of medicines in evacuated and confined municipalities.

Spain’s seven new amphibious planes will be delivered between 2028 and 2031

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, explained that the seven new amphibious planes ordered by Spain will begin to be delivered in 2028 and that the fleet incorporation will be completed in 2031. “It is the manufacturer who sets the times for the delivery of those 20 planes,” he said this Monday in an interview on Al Rojo Vivo, referring to the joint purchase promoted by several European Union countries.

Morán explained that Spain started the fleet renewal process in 2018, but the manufacturer required a minimum order of 20 aircraft to reopen a production line closed since 2015. According to him, that volume was reached in 2023 thanks to an agreement with France, Portugal, Italy, Greece and Croatia, as well as the support of the European Commission. “You don’t find planes on a supermarket shelf; you have to start the manufacturing line,” he summarized.

The situation of the La Mierla fire “is positive” and only “small combustions” remain

The situation of the La Mierla fire “is positive” and only “small combustions” remain, according to Miguel Aguilar, head of the Guadalajara Service, in a message distributed to the media. “The weather these days has been favorable. However, there are small latent combustions difficult to locate,” Aguilar explained. He also detailed that to find these spots “aerial means are being used to determine their location and indicate it to ground means that proceed to extinguish them.”

France

The fire in southwestern France gives a respite but remains uncontrolled

The huge fire that started last Wednesday in southwestern France and has already ravaged 42,000 hectares gave a respite in the early hours of Monday and shows “fewer active spots,” but remains unstable and is 15 kilometers from Bordeaux. For the first time since last Friday, no new evacuations have occurred.

You can read the full information here

Forest fires

The Government will approve a benefit for workers affected by the fires

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The Government will approve this Tuesday in the Council of Ministers a royal decree-law to extend protection for workers and companies affected by the fires spreading these days in different parts of the country. The regulation, promoted by the Ministry of Labor and negotiated over the weekend with social agents and affected autonomous communities, constitutes an extraordinary benefit that arises as a temporary response to the current emergency and will cover situations not previously contemplated, such as workers who cannot go to their workplace because they have been evacuated, have lost their home or lack basic services.

You can read the full information here

The PP avoids explicitly ruling out the State pact but focuses on the 50 measures proposed by Feijóo last year

The Deputy Secretary of Democratic Regeneration, Cuca Gamarra, avoided answering journalists’ repeated questions this Monday about whether the PP accepts sitting at the table with the Government to negotiate a State pact against fires. Instead, she focused on the 50 measures announced by Alberto Núñez Feijóo a year ago. Among them, she highlighted a new Civil Protection System. “Talking all day about a State pact just for a headline is not enough. This is the time to keep fighting the fire,” Gamarra said. “The country must have a robust, strong, prepared national Civil Protection system, capable of responding to situations like the ones we are experiencing,” argued the deputy secretary, who called to “start thinking about forests from another perspective.”

This Wednesday, the sector ministers of the autonomous communities, most governed by the PP, will meet with the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to address Civil Protection issues. The meeting was scheduled since July 14, before this latest fire crisis.

Fires

Sánchez warns that the Vall d’Uixó fire faces “difficult and complex” hours

The fire threatening to devour the green lung of Castellón advances relentlessly. The fire, which started Saturday morning in a neighborhood of La Vall d’Uixó, near the mountain, continues gaining ground and has already ravaged 7,200 hectares, most of them in the Sierra de Espadán natural park. The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, traveled this Monday to the Advanced Command Post of Vall d’Uixó, where, after meeting with the device leaders, he warned that “difficult and complex hours remain.” Concern, he said, increases with the imminent arrival of a new heat wave, which will bring a new rise in temperatures and further complicate the work of the teams deployed on the ground. In this scenario, Sánchez appealed to citizens to be extremely cautious.

You can read the full information here

37 resources and support units from Ecological Transition deployed in four forest fires

The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco) maintains 37 resources and support units deployed in the fires of San Martín de Valdeiglesias (Madrid), Burgohondo (Ávila), Vall d’Uixó (Castellón) and Balboa (León). The device consists of eight forest firefighter brigades, 13 amphibious planes, five ground cargo planes, six helicopters, two coordination planes, two FAST evaluation and advisory teams and a Mobile Analysis and Planning Unit (UMAP).

According to the ministry’s latest update, most resources remain concentrated on the fires of San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Burgohondo, the two largest active fires.

Ayuso announces rental aid, housing reconstruction and guarantees for companies affected by the fires

The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced this Monday from the Advanced Command Post of Navalcarnero a package of measures for those affected by the fires, including a free legal advice service, a line of guarantees for companies and self-employed, and a 30 million euro plan to assist people who have lost their homes. This fund will include rental aid for 12 months and subsidies for the reconstruction of damaged buildings.

The president estimated that 55,000 people are confined or evacuated and assured that the Community continues to assess the damage to design new aid.

Ayuso travels to the command post in Navalcarnero to assess the fires: “It is a demonic situation”

The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, traveled once again to the command post located in the town of Navalcarnero, where she assessed the situation of the fires in the region, which remains very complicated, especially on the western flank and the area of the San Juan reservoir. “It is a demonic situation,” she said visibly emotional before the media. The fire ravaging the western Sierra of Madrid already affects 25,000 hectares and, while the front from Ávila approaches strongly, which already affects 50,000 hectares, considered the largest and most aggressive fire in Spain’s history.

FOREST FIRES

Vodafone, MasOrange and Telefónica restore networks and enable backup technologies due to the fires

The declaration of a national interest emergency (Level 3) on the border between the Community of Madrid, Ávila and Toledo has forced the main telecommunications operators to activate a special operation to restore network infrastructures affected by forest fires. The unification of several active spots, fueled by unfavorable wind gusts and extreme temperatures, affects more than 90,000 people in the central zone of the peninsula. The burning of telephony sites and the cutting of fiber optic lines initially left 16 municipalities and about 40 population centers without mobile or fixed coverage. In the most affected points, the physical network depends on Vodafone and Telefónica infrastructures.

You can read the full information here

The advance of the fire in the western Sierra of Madrid forces the confinement of a new municipality, Valdemaqueda, with 870 inhabitants

The flames ravaging the western Sierra of Madrid force the evacuation this Monday of a new Madrid municipality: Valdemaqueda — confined since this Friday — with 870 inhabitants and close to the area that is most concerning at the moment in the region, the surroundings of the San Juan reservoir, where a strong fire front advances uncontrollably. With this, there are 12 evacuated localities and one housing development, as well as three confined municipalities. In total, 50,741 people sleep outside their homes or cannot leave their towns due to the fires.

Perimeter of the Almorox, Sierra Oeste and Burgohondo fires stabilized in Castilla-La Mancha

The Prevention and Extinction Service of Forest Fires of Castilla-La Mancha (Infocam) has reported, in a statement released through X, that the perimeter of the Almorox, Sierra Oeste and Burgohondo fires remains stabilized in the part corresponding to the autonomous community. However, the device keeps all its means and resources at the disposal of the integrated command to support extinguishing efforts.

Despite this favorable development, the evacuation of 11 municipalities in the province of Toledo continues, according to the latest balance provided by Infocam.

Temporary suspension of FP and Language School enrollment in the Community of Madrid due to fires

The Community of Madrid has temporarily suspended the second phase of enrollment for Vocational Training and Official Language Schools while the fire emergency remains active. In a statement, the regional government explains that the measure aims to “ensure that no student is disadvantaged in accessing a place due to the current circumstances.”

The Education Department points out that the suspension aims to prevent confinements, evacuations or communication difficulties from hindering the completion of enrollment procedures. Additionally, it assures that if the emergency situation prolongs, it will enable a new enrollment period in September and adapt the calendar so that “no student is disadvantaged in accessing these studies.”

Sánchez warns that “difficult hours remain” in the fight against fires ahead of the new heat wave and urges extreme caution

The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, appeared before the press from the Advanced Command Post of Vall d’Uixó in Castellón, alongside the president of the Generalitat, Juan Francisco Pérez Llorca. There Sánchez warned that “difficult, complex hours remain. We will have a temperature increase in a few hours, in the coming days, AEMET will announce a new heat wave across the Iberian Peninsula. Therefore, I ask for understanding and to take extreme prevention and caution by all citizens throughout the country.”

Sánchez also highly valued the “institutional cooperation against a common enemy, which is fire” throughout the territory, before adding that “we must also be, as the president said earlier, in recovery and reconstruction.” The president also declared that tomorrow a “royal decree-law of an area severely affected by a Civil Protection emergency” will be approved.

Pérez Llorca also spoke alongside Sánchez, where he said that “if it is proven that there was human will, intentionality [behind the fire], I hope the full weight of the law falls on that person and that we even open a debate to study much harsher measures” against what the president called “environmental attacks that are very costly to repair.”

Residents of the Tiétar Valley (Ávila) denounce lack of coordination and request more resources to fight the fire

Residents and volunteers of the municipalities affected by the Tiétar Valley fire (Ávila) have demanded reinforcement of extinguishing resources and better coordination of the operation. In a statement, they say that the deployed resources “are not sufficient” to contain a fire that continues advancing and maintain that the people who know the forest best “are not being heard.”

Residents also denounce water supply problems, power outages and lack of phone coverage in some localities, as well as difficulties in delivering aid to volunteers fighting the fire. They also state that the fire reached the entrance of Sotillo de la Adrada after a request to cut down a poplar tree, which according to their version posed a risk for the spread of flames, was not attended to.

Urtasun, on the fire crisis: “Climate denialism is a problem for the security of our country”

The Minister of Culture and spokesperson for Sumar, Ernest Urtasun, has stated that for his party, “climate denialism is a problem for Spain’s security.” The minister first said that “the priority is to protect people’s safety” in the fire situation, but sent a message to the PP autonomous presidents, whom he reproached for making pacts with Vox in the communities they govern: “Those who today deny climate change and its consequences put the lives of citizens of this country at risk,” he insisted.

“The fires show us that we have to do much more, extinguishing is essential but no longer enough,” the minister explained, who asked the autonomous communities to “stop cutting prevention” and to stabilize the staff of workers who work in fire prevention and extinction. “We cannot pretend to put out in July what we have not cared for the rest of the year,” he concluded.

Authorities of Castilla y León consider relaxing some restrictions but maintain evacuations and confinements unchanged

The Government Delegate in Castilla y León, Nicanor Sen, explained this Monday from the Advanced Command Post of Navaluenga (Ávila) that, for now, the current measures remain, with 16 municipalities evacuated and three confined in the province. However, he said that the operational direction of the fire is conducting a reconnaissance flight over the fire perimeter — including areas of Castilla-La Mancha and the Community of Madrid — to decide whether it is possible to relax some restrictions or if, on the contrary, new protection measures are necessary.
Sen emphasized that any decision will be made with the safety of the population as a priority and highlighted that, despite the strong wind gusts recorded until five in the morning, the extinguishing teams have managed to defend “every single urban center.” He acknowledged, however, that the fire has affected some facilities and homes, especially in peri-urban areas.

Extinguishing work in Ávila focuses on containing the fires and protecting urban centers: “Until 5:00 conditions have been very bad”

Several hours of “very bad conditions” in Ávila. Until 5:00, “high wind gusts” have greatly complicated extinguishing work of the large fire started in Burgohondo and which already affects 50,000 hectares. This was detailed at 12:45 by the Government Delegate in Castilla y León, Nicanor Sen, from the command post in the municipality of Navaluenga.

Sen indicated that an inspection flight is being conducted over the entire fire perimeter, including areas near Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha, and that once it concludes, it will be decided whether to adopt evacuation or confinement measures, or, on the contrary, relax some of those already taken. “We have anticipated those evacuations that had to be carried out,” he explained to the media.

At this time, the first line of defense is to prevent flames from entering urban centers towards which active fires advance, such as Mijares or Casillas. In the latter, he said, “some facilities and homes have burned.” “All and every urban center is being defended,” he concluded.

The Government deploys more than 570 personnel against the Vall d’Uixó fire

The Government has deployed this Monday 578 personnel against the Vall d’Uixó fire in Castellón, which has affected more than 4,300 hectares and forced the evacuation of more than 16,000 people. This includes 137 personnel from the UME, 53 from MITECO — equipped with eight planes and five helicopters — and 388 from the Civil Guard, as well as remote support from the Disaster and Emergency Advisory Group of the CSIC.

The Government Delegate in Madrid sends a message of “moderate optimism” about the fire’s evolution

The Government Delegate in the Community of Madrid, Francisco Martín, conveyed this Monday a message of “moderate optimism” about the fire’s evolution during a press conference from the Advanced Command Post of Navalcarnero. “We have to take advantage of the window of opportunity before us. We have resources, aerial means, many personnel and machinery on the ground, and we will manage to defeat this fire,” he stated.

Martín warned, however, that the fire remains uncontrolled and insisted on asking the population to strictly respect evacuation and confinement orders. He explained that the main efforts are concentrated north of the San Juan reservoir, to prevent the flames from reaching Valdemaqueda, as well as on the fronts of Cadalso de los Vidrios and Villa del Prado, in the Costa de Madrid housing development and in the fire’s advance from Sotillo de la Adrada, aiming to prevent the situation from worsening around Cenicientos.

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