'It's a hell of a situation': Spain grapples with devastating wildfires

What the report says

BBC World News reported on 28 July 2026 that firefighters in Spain have spent the past week battling severe wildfires across the countryside, with dozens of communities threatened and more than 70,000 people forced to leave their homes. The Madrid region is a major focus, where three fires have raised particular alarm as another heatwave is forecast to begin Wednesday.

Madrid regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso visited affected areas Monday with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and described the emergency in stark terms. According to the BBC, more than 56,500 people have been evacuated in the Madrid region alone, while 27,797 others have been told to remain indoors. Four municipalities were still under lockdown orders and 12 others had been evacuated; additional evacuations were reported in Ávila, Toledo and Valencia.

Spain’s weather agency Aemet warned that fire danger would keep climbing to extreme levels, with temperatures expected to near 40C in some places and the heatwave likely to last at least until Sunday. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said overnight firefighting had made encouraging progress, though he cautioned that weather conditions remained difficult. The national government’s delegation in Madrid said the fire was still active and uncontrolled, with crews focusing on monitoring and cooling burned areas.

Sánchez said Tuesday that wildfire-hit areas had been declared disaster zones and linked the response to the broader climate emergency. Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen said about 77,000 hectares had been affected nationwide, and described the Ávila fire as the largest in Spain’s recent history. The BBC also noted a separate major wildfire in neighbouring Portugal’s Guarda area.