Spain declares emergency as wildfires force 11,500 evacuations

The Spanish government declared a national emergency on Thursday night in the Community of Madrid and the province of Ávila in Castilla y León due to the severity of wildfires in the two regions, which have already forced the evacuation of approximately 11,500 people, according to local media reports.

By declaring the emergency, the government assumed responsibility for coordinating the response to the fires. The decision was made following the development of fires in Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias in Madrid, as well as Burgohondo in Ávila, and came hours after Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso requested the measure.

In the Community of Madrid, more than 10,000 people have been evacuated due to three separate fires. One fire is located in Villa del Prado, affecting Llogaret del Fresno; another is in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, affecting Pelayos de la Presa; and a third fire in Almorox, Toledo, has entered the stabilization phase.

In Ávila, a fire that broke out on Wednesday in Burgohondo has forced the evacuation of 1,500 people from a rural tourism center and a residential development in the municipality of El Tiemblo.

Stabil.Az