Spain battles latest in series of major wildfires near Madrid

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkSmoke is seen as firefighting helicopters battle a huge wildfire that has devastated 29,000 hectares in Guadalajara province, as seen from Tamajon, north of Madrid, on July 21, 2026 [Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP]By AFPPublished On 21 Jul 202621 Jul 2026Hundreds of Spanish firefighters have been battling a wildfire near the capital Madrid, the latest in a series of wildfires to have erupted over the summer as the country faces its third heatwave of the year.More than 600 firefighters and troops, backed by 29 aircraft, spent a sixth day battling the blaze on Tuesday as it raged north of Madrid.The fire has burned roughly 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) and forced about 1,200 people to be evacuated from their homes. A total of 34 hamlets have been emptied, and residents in 14 more districts have been told to shelter indoors.Strong winds and dry, abandoned scrubland in the sparsely populated area have made the fire especially hard to fight.Temperatures rising to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) have added to the strain on firefighting crews as helicopters and planes aid the effort to douse the flames.The fire in Almeria earlier this month was one of Spain’s deadliest in recent memory [File: Reuters]Authorities reported that the fire is one of the toughest they have ever faced. It has been burning since last Thursday in Guadalajara province, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of the capital, and is now Spain’s most destructive wildfire of the year.The country has faced a difficult summer stretch, and has now entered its third heatwave of the season.A fire in Almeria earlier this month killed 13 people, making it one of Spain’s deadliest in recent memory.Scientists say human-caused climate change is increasing the length, intensity and frequency of heatwaves, drying out vegetation and raising the risk of destructive wildfires.In 2025, more than 393,000 hectares (371,000 acres) were destroyed by fire, according to the European Forest Fire Information System, the most in Spain’s recent history.