Spain has been hit with one of the most devastating wildfires in decades, with massive blazes scorching thousands of hectares across multiple regions as temperatures reached 40 °C (104 °F).
Active fire hotspots are:
- Madrid and Avila (Hotspots near Burgohondo and San Martín de Valdeiglesias are active, forcing around 70,000 evacuations)
- Zomara (Fermoselle): There’s a bit of improvement here with authorities authorizing residents to return to 12 of 14 evacuated localities. But the situation remains critical in inaccessible areas of the Arribes del Duero canyon.
- Castellon: The hardest hit region, with the blaze remaining out of control. 10,000 evacuees remain unable to return as flames continue to threaten communities.
Based on the map of fires produced by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), there have been fires in Spain that have burned an estimated 1,570 square kilometers of the area from July 1. The president of the Madrid region said that it was “the worst fire in the history of the region.”
AEMET has put at least six regions under orange alert as the heat wave continues due to the extreme weather conditions. It has been warned that the frequency of such fires will increase due to climate change, based on the Spanish maps of fires.
2026-07-31 18:25:00
