Flames Continue to Spread Through Region Near Madrid — Fire Not Under Control

According to authorities, a forest fire northeast of the Spanish capital, Madrid, has already burned about 13,000 hectares. That is equivalent to more than 18,000 soccer fields. The state-run TV station RTVE reported that the flames are not yet under control and had spread another 14 kilometers overnight into Sunday.

More than 500 first responders are on the ground working to create firebreaks and thus contain the flames. So far, this approach has succeeded in keeping the fire away from populated areas, said Regional Environment Minister Mercedes Gómez. The emergency responders are being supported by, among others, the Military Emergency Unit (UME).

Ground crews were being supported by 25 firefighting aircraft. However, as a precaution, 20 communities with a total population of about 800 were evacuated, Gómez said.

Due to drought and low humidity, the risk of wildfires is currently extremely high in large parts of Spain. Climate change increases the likelihood of fires in regions such as the Mediterranean, as it leads to long periods of drought and heat.

The area burned so far is twice as large as in 2025

Since the beginning of the year, large-scale fires in Spain have already destroyed more than 80,000 hectares of land, according to data from the European Commission’s Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

That was nearly twice as many as during the same period last year. At that time, however, the worst fires did not occur until August, when the area burned—which had been around 47,000 hectares at the end of July—skyrocketed to 380,000 hectares within a few days by early August.

Good news about the fire north of Zaragoza

However, the all-clear was given for another major wildfire in the Aragon region in northeastern Spain. According to the regional government, the fire that broke out on Thursday near Orés is now largely under control. About 14,400 hectares were destroyed there, said Aragon’s regional president, Jorge Azcón.

More than 1,100 people were temporarily forced to evacuate their homes. More than 400 first responders, along with numerous firefighting helicopters and planes, battled the flames.

Spain, along with its Iberian neighbor Portugal and other European countries, has been plagued by a series of wildfires for weeks. Thirteen people died in a fire last week in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia—mostly elderly foreigners living in the province of Almería, including seven Britons and three Belgians.