Argentine footballer Lionel Messi has donated 80,000 euros for the reconstruction of the Sierra Oeste of Madrid, following the forest fire that has affected more than 27,000 hectares in that area over the past weeks. The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, made the announcement this Tuesday through her account on X: “I want to thank him and say that the people of Madrid look forward to welcoming him soon to give him the applause he deserves.”
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Messi’s donation will be allocated to the reconstruction efforts of the municipalities affected by the fire. Sources from the regional government explained that it was representatives of the footballer who contacted the Community to inquire about how to make the financial contribution. According to provisional figures provided by the regional government, 100 homes have been destroyed and more than 300 damaged in the Community of Madrid.
Leo Messi has donated €80,000 for the #reconstruction of the Sierra Oeste of Madrid.
I want to thank him and say that the people of Madrid look forward to welcoming him soon to give him the applause he deserves. 🙌🏼
— Isabel Díaz Ayuso (@IdiazAyuso) August 4, 2026
The regional government enabled a link to channel donations intended for the reconstruction of the areas affected by the fire. Since the Community of Madrid launched this initiative on July 29, nearly 200,000 euros have already been raised.
Fire controlled
The forest fire in the Sierra Oeste, according to Emergencies of Madrid this Tuesday, is now considered controlled and in the extinction phase. Therefore, it has been decided to lower to Operational Situation 0 of INFOMA, which means that the fire can be controlled with the usual means and resources and there is no direct danger to the population or to non-forest assets. In this regard, finishing and monitoring work has been established with firefighters, forest firefighters, and forest agents of the Community of Madrid.
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Likewise, the Community has authorized the return of residents to seven urbanizations of Pelayos de la Presa (El Mirador de Pelayos and Las Múas) and San Martín de Valdeiglesias (Costa de Madrid, San Ramón, Javacruz, La Javariega, and Veracruz) that had been evacuated.
The regional government has urged residents to access the area with extreme caution and to report through 112 any incidents affecting safety (damage to trees, buildings, wiring, among others). For the moment, the ban on swimming and water activities in the San Juan Reservoir and the Alberche Beach remains in place.
The forest fire has affected 17 municipalities in Madrid and forced the evacuation and confinement of more than 55,000 residents. The regional government’s initial estimate places the affected area at more than 27,000 hectares, after a week of fire extinguishing and control work, the largest recorded in the region in recent decades.
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