Firefighter Juan Luis Valderas takes a breath before continuing to fight the flames.Image: keystone
July 28, 2026, 2:40 p.mJuly 28, 2026, 2:40 p.m
The emergency services in Spain are celebrating considerable success in fighting several devastating forest fires.
“We see light at the end of the tunnel,” said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez after a meeting of the crisis team in Madrid. The government will use all available means “until the last flame”. The areas affected by the fires have now been declared disaster zones, which means that initial aid has begun.
The socialist politician also renewed his appeal for a cross-party climate pact. Denying man-made climate change is “the worst fuel” in the fight against fires and the climate crisis, Sánchez warned journalists.
Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, speaks to the media.Image: keystone
The firefighting work is now turning into a race against the clock, as the weather service Aemet has announced the start of the fourth heat wave of the summer in the popular holiday destination on Wednesday. This should last at least until Sunday. Temperatures of up to 42 degrees and falling humidity could make the work significantly more difficult.
Largest forest fire in recent Spanish history
The forest fires are primarily affecting the province of Avila, west of Madrid, as well as the neighboring regions of Madrid and Toledo. The flames have so far devastated almost 80,000 hectares of forest and bushland. Since the weekend, however, the spread of the fires has slowed significantly. Around 90,000 people were recently affected by evacuations or exit restrictions around the Spanish capital.
Firefighters are trying to stop the forest fires with controlled fires.Image: keystone
In Ávila alone, according to preliminary official estimates, an area of almost 50,000 hectares was destroyed. This corresponds to around 500 square kilometers – almost the area of Lake Constance. This fire is the largest in Spain’s recent history, i.e. since records began in 1968.
There are also fires in many places in Portugal
Burning also continues in the province of Castellón in the east of the country. In the Vall d’Uixó area, the flames have so far affected around 8,500 hectares. A total of around 16,000 people were evacuated there, but around 6,000 were able to return to their homes on Monday as the situation eased. Many more would follow throughout the day, regional authorities said. A total of eight major forest fires raged in Spain on Tuesday.
Nature is also burning in many places in Portugal these days. A total of 34 forest fires were active across the country on Tuesday morning. However, the fires have so far all been significantly smaller than in the neighboring Iberian country. A total of around 1,000 emergency services fought against them, the authorities said. (nil/sda/dpa)