Spain battles dozens of wildfires amid heatwave

Dozens of forest fires that have broken out in various parts of Spain in recent days have burned thousands of hectares and forced thousands of people to spend the night away from their homes: more than 3,700 residents in Castilla y León, 2,000 in Cádiz, and 180 in several housing developments in the north of Madrid, where one person has died after suffering severe burns. Over the course of the day, dozens of those affected are expected to return to their homes.

In response to the fires, which have broken out in many different parts of the country, Spain’s Interior Ministry declared an early emergency alert and called a meeting with top officials to review the situation and coordinate the firefighting efforts.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez posted a message of condolence for the death in Madrid. “All my sympathy to the family of the man who died in Tres Cantos as a result of the fire,” he wrote. In the same post, he recalled the measures taken by the Ministry of the Interior and thanked the work of the security forces and emergency services “who are working tirelessly to extinguish it.”

Early Tuesday morning, aerial resources joined ground crews in fighting the fires, battling the flames amid a severe heatwave that has entered its second week, with extreme weather conditions and strong winds. Around 1,000 personnel from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) are currently deployed across the country on forest fire missions, according to a post on the UME X account. The personnel are operating in the fires in León, Zamora, Ourense, Madrid, and Toledo.

These are the main fire hotspots that have put several regions on alert.

Madrid region

The fire that broke out on Monday afternoon in Tres Cantos in the Madrid region has now been contained after destroying 1,500 hectares (mainly pasture, scrubland, and some forested areas) and claiming the life of a man who suffered burns over 98% of his body. Four homes and the King’s College campus in the Soto de Viñuelas housing development were also affected, although damage to other buildings is still being assessed. No roads remain closed.

A total of 106 people spent the night in temporary shelters, and 45 remain housed in a sports center in Tres Cantos. After a meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi), it was decided that residents of the Soto de Viñuelas housing development “will be allowed to gradually return to their homes.” This was reported by Madrid’s 112 emergency service shortly before 11:00 a.m.

For now, emergency crews continue working to extinguish the fire, and Operational Situation Level 2 remains in place due to “the forecast of storms with strong gusts of wind for this afternoon.”

Although the large smoke columns visible on Monday evening are no longer seen, residents in areas near the fire are still advised to keep doors and windows closed. Madrid’s 112 emergency service has warned that storms and strong gusts of wind, like those that contributed to the fire’s rapid spread on Monday, are possible, and fears the situation could worsen.

“We must be very cautious,” stressed local official Francisco Martín Aguirre, reminding that the coming hours will be “critical” for the evolution of the flames.

Galicia

The active fires in Galicia are mainly affecting Ourense, in the Macizo Central area. They continue to advance and, in recent hours, have forced evacuations of homes in the municipalities of Maceda and Chandrexa de Queixa. The fire has already burned more than 3,000 hectares, making it the worst fire of the year in Galicia. Because it is a mountainous area accessible only by air units, extinguishing the flames is proving very difficult. The Military Emergency Unit has been deployed throughout the area.

The Galician government’s rural affairs department declared an emergency alert level (called Situation 2) because the fire was close enough to threaten homes and people’s safety. This alert was issued in the early hours of Tuesday in the parishes of Chandrexa de Requeixo, Vilar, and Zamorela, as well as the villages of Maceda de Calveliño do Monte and Santiso. According to Galicia’s 112 emergency service, five residents from two homes in the hamlet of A Senra, in Chandrexa, had to be evacuated during the night.

The mayor of Maceda, Uxía Oviedo, explained that four residents were evacuated from Calveliño do Monte, where a backburn was carried out to protect the village. On Tuesday morning, officials were assessing the terrain to plan their next steps, but the mayor of Maceda, Uxía Oviedo, expressed concern that “the fire will move up toward Montederramo.” She warned it’s “very difficult terrain” with a history of fires and acknowledged the challenges faced by authorities.

Andalusia

In Cádiz province, where the fire has been affecting the Sierra de la Plata in Tarifa since Monday, aerial units continued firefighting work Tuesday morning. Antonio Sanz Cabello, Andalusia’s Minister of the Presidency, announced that 700 of the evacuees have been allowed to return — these include guests from the Meliá Zahara, Atlántico, and Varadero hotels, and residents from the Mar de Plata, Almadraba, Atlanterra Playa, and Jardines de Zahara housing developments.

Sanz confirmed that the fire in Tarifa was deliberately set. “We have strong suspicions that it was intentional. It’s regrettable — this is not just negligence, we’re talking about ill intent, malice, and a desire to cause harm,” he said, adding that while the fire is still active, the outlook is “optimistic.” Sanz also stressed that another forest fire that broke out this morning in Los Caños de Meca (Cádiz) was also started deliberately.

In total, about 2,000 people have been evacuated from homes, hotels, and housing developments. Of these, 400 spent the night in the sports center of the Miguel de Cervantes school and the Nuestra Señora del Carmen church in Zahara de los Atunes, according to the mayor of this autonomous local entity, Agustín Conejo, speaking to Efe news agency. A Civil Guard officer was injured when struck by a vehicle while helping direct traffic. Overnight, 150 personnel from Andalusia’s forest fire service (INFOCA), five fire engines, and a heavy machinery unit, among other resources, worked to put out the fires.

INFOCA continues firefighting efforts against another forest fire affecting San Nicolás del Puerto, in the Sierra Morena of Seville. On Monday, this fire forced the evacuation of about 80 people from a campground and around 120 from camping areas in nearby natural spots.

Castilla y León

The forest fire declared last Saturday in Yeres (León), which has affected the UNESCO World Heritage natural site of Las Médulas, has forced the evacuation of 700 residents from four towns. However, the situation improved overnight, with many fire fronts under control.

The N-536 road (Ponferrada-Ourense) through Carucedo has reopened, and at least 600 residents have returned home. Local authorities in León also announced that residents of Borrenes and Chana, who had been confined to their homes, are now allowed to leave. The only town still evacuated due to the fire is Voces.

Extinguishing efforts remain focused on the southeast area to prevent the flames from reaching Pombriego, where residents are confined to their homes, and Voces.

The mayor of Puente Domingo Flórez, Julio Arias, confirmed that many of the fire fronts are now under control, and the UME has even conveyed its intention to withdraw in order to respond to the numerous other fires currently affecting the province of León. A total of 21 firefighting units remain in operation, including four ground crews, one fire engine, one bulldozer, and three helicopter-borne brigades, while aerial resources are starting to rejoin the firefighting tasks.

Also of concern is the fire in Molezuelas de la Carballeda (Zamora), which on Monday afternoon crossed into the province of León and forced the evacuation of more than 2,100 residents from seven towns in León.

Meanwhile, the regional premier, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, announced that the Civil Guard has arrested a person as the “alleged perpetrator” of the fire declared late last month in the town of Monbeltrán (Ávila), which destroyed more than 2,000 hectares.

Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura

The fire in Navalmoralejo (Toledo), active in both Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha, has already burned 3,250 hectares, 75% of which are in Extremadura, according to Extremadura regional official Abel Bautista. He told the media on Tuesday that the night had been “very complicated,” forcing the confinement of the municipality of Villar del Pedroso in the province of Cáceres. The fire is 90% contained, although Bautista noted that weather conditions are unfavorable for bringing it fully under control.

The burned area, which on Monday afternoon had affected only 400 hectares, increased overnight due to changes in the wind. The Castilla-La Mancha Forest Fire Prevention and Extinction Service reported on social media that these wind shifts, with strong gusts, made firefighting operations difficult during the night.

The Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) reported on its website that there is a complete road closure on the TO-1197 heading toward Navalmoralejo, from km 0 to km 2.5; while the EX-387 is closed from km 22.91 to km 37.1, between the Cáceres municipalities of Valdelacasa del Tajo and Villar del Pedroso.

The mayor of Navalmoralejo, Juan Carlos Cabello, told Efe news agency that his municipality is experiencing “a tragedy” after being evacuated. He said about 180 people have had to leave their homes and noted there is “a lot of fear.” Currently, 30 firefighting units, seven of them aerial, and 123 personnel are working to extinguish the Navalmoralejo fire.

Navarra

The fire in Carcastillo, which began last Saturday and prompted the regional government to activate Level 2 of the Special Civil Protection Plan for forest fires, is now “contained and stabilized,” according a post from the Navarra regional government.

Fire services will continue extinction work throughout Tuesday. However, the fire risk will remain “extreme” all day, according to Spain’s meteorological agency Aemet, with firefighters urging the public to avoid “any activity that could cause fires.”

Valencia

The fire that broke out in Alcoi on Monday, shortly after 4:00 p.m., was extinguished around 7:00 Tuesday morning, according to the Alicante officials. The blaze began in the upper part of the Romeral park and was “practically controlled” and contained within a few hours. The flames affected an area with pine and olive trees, according to the fire service.

“Thanks to the rapid response, we avoided a bigger scare. I ask the public for maximum caution and cooperation to prevent fires that endanger our natural surroundings,” said Toni Francés, the town’s mayor.

With reporting by Óscar López-Fonseca, Natalia Jiménez Segura, Álvaro Sánchez-Martín, Lucía Franco, and Jesús A. Cañas.

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