More Than 220,000 People Are Being Evacuated From Spain And France
- 26.07.2026, 2:54
Large-scale wildfires have gotten out of control.
French authorities have ordered the evacuation of nearly 60,000 people in the Bordeaux area due to massive wildfires that have broken out in France and Spain. In total, more than 220,000 people have been ordered to leave the danger zones, according to the BBC.
It is reported that about 200,000 people were evacuated in southwestern France in the Gironde and Landes regions. French President Emmanuel Macron has mobilized the armed forces to assist in fighting the fires.
Spanish authorities warned that a fire near Madrid has exceeded the fire department’s capacity to contain it after three fires west of the capital merged into one. The Spanish government has also declared a state of emergency in the country: 25,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, and nearly 40,000 have been told to stay indoors.
According to the president of the Autonomous Community of Madrid Isabel Díaz Ayuso, this is the worst fire in the region’s history. She noted that a storm had struck the area due to high temperatures, relentless winds, and converging fire fronts.
Spanish local emergency services reported that the wildfires are advancing toward the municipalities of Robledo de Chavela and Fresnedillas de la Oliva, which are located 50 km from the capital, Madrid.
“The wildfire has reached its peak and is currently beyond the fire department’s ability to contain it,” Carlos Novillo, head of the Madrid regional government’s emergency management department, told reporters.
To halt the spread of the flames, Spain has deployed the Military Emergency Unit. Its main task is to protect areas near the town of El Escorial.
Authorities are also monitoring a separate forest fire in the neighboring province of Ávila. Officials fear that the massive fire in Burgos could merge with the one in Madrid. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that authorities are doing everything possible to prevent these two fires from merging.
The publication added that at least 6,000 hectares of land have been burned in the Madrid region, while the fire in Ávila has engulfed nearly 9,000 hectares. Eight municipalities were evacuated, including Chapíñera, Navas del Rey, Colmenar del Arroyo, Fresnedillas de la Oliva, Robledo de Chavela, Aldea del Fresno, Navagalamelia, and Sarsalejo. Several other towns, including San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa, and Villa del Prado, are under lockdown.
In addition, the Spanish Civil Guard has arrested one person and is investigating another in connection with the fire in Burgoondo. Officials have not ruled out the possibility that the fire in Burgoondo may have been caused by negligence in the use of heavy machinery while restrictive measures were in effect.
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