The Ministry of the Interior announced the reopening of access roads to the affected localities in Madrid and Ávila starting at 5:00 PM local time (4:00 PM in Lisbon). This announcement confirms the progressive improvement in the control of the large fires that led to the declaration of a national state of emergency in the provinces of Madrid and Ávila last Thursday.
Return and Population Status
Residents from thirteen communities, eight located in the western mountains of Madrid and five in Ávila, are authorized to return home from this date after having been evacuated. Furthermore, the lockdown has ended in most municipalities of Madrid and in two municipalities of Ávila.
However, four localities in the Madrid region and about ten in Ávila remain under evacuation orders, as do certain isolated urban areas in the capital's mountains.
Official Statements on the Fires
The Prime Minister of Spain acknowledged early this morning that there is a visible sign of improvement in the fight against the large fires affecting the regions of Madrid, Ávila, and Toledo. However, Pedro Sánchez emphasized the need to maintain all precautions, warning about 'complex days and hours' ahead, especially due to rising temperatures and the approach of a heatwave.
The head of Government reported that, at this moment, eight large fires remain active in Spain. Later, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, confirmed that the results obtained during the early morning were positive. He added that, besides fire control, stabilization may be near, stating that they are containing the fire and working to consolidate the gains of the early morning, in statements made at the command post in Navalcarnero, Madrid.
Fire Impact and Evolution
These fires in central Spain, covering the provinces of Madrid, Ávila, and Toledo, have resulted in the confinement or removal of more than 90,000 people since Thursday. Although Madrid and Ávila maintain the national state of emergency, Toledo has been downgraded from this level due to the good evolution in combating the hotspots.
The fires consumed more than 77,000 hectares in these provinces. The fire in Ávila, specifically, reached over 50,000 hectares burned, setting a new historical record in Spain. In total, since the beginning of the year, more than 170,000 hectares have been burned in Spain, which represents six times more than in the same period of 2025.
In terms of casualties, 14 people have died due to the fires in Spain since the beginning of the year. One death occurred last Saturday in Castellón, Valencia, and another 13 in a fire in Almería in early July. The number of fatalities had been 13 until then, but a woman hospitalized after the Almería fire died this Tuesday, raising the total to 14.
