Wildfires burning across the central Spanish regions of Madrid, Ávila, and Toledo have forced the evacuation or confinement of around 90,000 people, in what authorities describe as an unprecedented protective operation. The fire in Ávila (a province northwest of Madrid in the Castilla y León region) has scorched more than 50,000 hectares, making it the largest wildfire ever recorded in Spain, and the government announced it would formally declare the affected areas as severely damaged by the emergency. Separately, a fire in La Vall d'Uixó in the eastern province of Castellón burned 6,500 hectares and displaced 17,000 residents, with authorities suspecting it was deliberately set, though firefighters reported good prospects for bringing it under control.
Mosaic News
Spanish wildfires displace 90,000 as Ávila blaze becomes largest in Spanish history[Updated]
Spain's interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced Wednesday that the record-setting wildfire near Madrid had been 'technically stabilised,' with dozens of ground crews managing to contain it overnight — though a separate fire near València remained out of control. The crisis has broadened beyond Spain's borders, with three Greek firefighters killed battling blazes on Crete and in the southern Peloponnese, where gale-force winds drove flames across the Rethymno region and near the port town of Gytheio. Across France, Spain, and Portugal combined, more than 330,000 people have been evacuated and 15 deaths reported continent-wide. In France's Gironde region, investigators believe routine brush-clearing work near a high-voltage line may have ignited that country's largest blaze, even though the work appeared to comply with regulations.
Spanish authorities lifted evacuation orders for 15 municipalities on Tuesday afternoon, allowing some residents to begin returning home, though they found widespread destruction — around 50 homes in Navas del Rey were destroyed and another 50 damaged, with the mayor of nearby Pelayos de la Presa describing the scene as "a war zone." At least three people have died across the broader southwestern European fires, including two firefighters, though no deaths have been directly attributed to the Spanish blazes. Firefighters say the intensity of the fires has forced a fundamental shift in tactics, with crews abandoning direct attacks on the flames to focus instead on evacuations and protecting property. For the first time on record in France, a fire thunderstorm — known as a pyrocumulonimbus — formed over the blazes, further intensifying conditions.
Spain's interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has warned that Monday and Tuesday are 'absolutely crucial days' to make progress before a fresh heatwave arrives Wednesday, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cautioning that 'difficult hours, complex hours' lie ahead. The total area of scorched land near Madrid has now reached 70,000 hectares, as authorities battle two separate fires northwest of the capital in addition to the record-setting Ávila blaze. Spain's state meteorological agency Aemet said the heatwave is expected to last until at least Sunday, with locally gusty southerly winds further hampering firefighting efforts. EU officials have warned the fires could remain active until early November, threatening a record-breaking year for land burned across Europe.