Spain’s Wildfires Have Burned 70,000 Hectares — the Worst in the Country’s History
A massive wildfire in central Spain has become the largest ever recorded in the country, burning an estimated 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) across the provinces of Madrid and Ávila since it ignited on July 22 [206066]. The blaze, which forced the government to declare a national emergency, has killed at least 14 people, including a woman who died after suffering burns on 70% of her body in a separate fire in Almería [206123].
The fire in Madrid and Ávila started on the afternoon of July 22 near Burgohondo, Ávila, after the unauthorized use of heavy machinery, according to investigators [206066]. A person has been detained in connection with the origin [206066]. The flames spread rapidly, and by July 27, satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System showed roughly 70,000 hectares burned across four separate fires that later merged [206066]. The fire that began in Ávila alone may become the single largest wildfire ever recorded in Spain [206066].
Officials reported that the fires in Ávila are the largest in the country’s recent history [204638]. The Spanish government has declared 211 areas as "seriously affected" by civil protection emergencies, covering disasters that occurred between March 31 and July 27, 2026, across 14 of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities [206063]. The declaration unlocks state resources and aid, including tax breaks, funding for local infrastructure repairs, and potential labor measures [206063].
A fresh heatwave is now threatening to worsen conditions in both Spain and France, endangering firefighting operations as massive wildfires remain out of control [206261]. In France, a wildfire near Bordeaux has consumed more than 420 square kilometers (162 square miles) in less than four days [206290]. The European Union has dispatched firefighting aircraft and emergency aid to both countries, though critics accuse Brussels of weakening its own climate policies [206231].
In eastern Spain, a fire in La Vall d'Uixó near Castellón has burned 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) and remains "very active," though improving conditions allowed approximately 6,000 residents to return home [206061]. Firefighters are focused on containing the fire's advance and preventing new "reproductions"—smaller fires sparked by the main blaze—as critical hours approach [206061].
The death toll from the wildfires has reached 14 after a woman being treated at the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville died from burns covering 70% of her body [206123]. The fire in Los Gallardos, Almería, which broke out on July 9, burned approximately 5,200 hectares and was declared extinguished on July 24 [206123].