Authorities in Spain declared a state of emergency in the Madrid Autonomous Community and the neighboring province of Avila on Thursday evening (July 23) due to multiple wildfires spreading out of control. The raging fires have already forced approximately 10,000 people in the capital city of Madrid and surrounding areas to evacuate urgently, with emergency response efforts now being coordinated by the military units.
According to reports from Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Spanish Ministry of the Interior stated that this measure aims to expedite the deployment of firefighting resources to address the severe wildfire situation in the Madrid region.
In recent days, multiple forest fires have been burning simultaneously in the Madrid Autonomous Community, leading to the evacuation of about 10,000 people. On Thursday morning, authorities issued evacuation warnings to 3,500 residents of the village of Aldea de Fresno, located about 60 kilometers from Madrid.
As wildfires in Avila province continue to be out of control, residents of towns such as Burgohondo, El Tiemblo, and Navaluenga have been ordered to shelter in place.
The largest wildfire currently in the region is located in the Guadalajara province, about 100 kilometers north of Madrid, where approximately 32,000 hectares of forest land have been destroyed since it erupted on the 16th of the month.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated on social media that the government has mobilized all available resources for firefighting and emergency response efforts, emphasizing the importance of heightened vigilance among the public.
According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), nearly 125,000 hectares of forest land in Spain have been burnt down this year, compared to 393,000 hectares throughout the entirety of last year.