Spain has declared a national emergency as several blazes merged into one massive wildfire west of Madrid, prompting the country to declare its first-ever national emergency over a wildfire.
The Spanish government issued the declaration on Thursday.
The decision to declare an emergency was made because several fires broke out at the same time amid threatening weather conditions, the Interior Ministry said. Authorities also said there was a dire need for more resources, citing the complexity of firefighting efforts.
The blazes, fueled by extreme heat, drought, and strong winds, have become the worst wildfire crisis in the Madrid region's history.
"This is the worst wildfire in our region's history," Madrid's regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso told reporters after the fires had merged. "It's the perfect storm of very high temperatures and ceaseless winds that aren't letting up."
60,000 people have been forced from their homes as of Friday evening.
According to the Community of Madrid’s official emergency service, three wildfires burning in western Madrid and neighboring Castilla-La Mancha merged into a single large blaze, creating a major challenge for firefighters.
The fires, located in Villa del Prado, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, and Almorox, spread rapidly through dry, wind-swept terrain as extreme heat fueled the flames. The combined wildfire prompted emergency measures and evacuations as authorities warned it could outpace current firefighting efforts.
The wildfires have forced people to evacuate from Villa del Prado, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa, and Aldea del Fresno, according to officials.
Emergency personnel, ground units, and even military resources have been deployed in the affected areas.
Abundant vegetation growth following unusually heavy rainfall in the Spring has dried out in extreme summer heat, creating fuel for rapidly spreading fires, according to experts.
More than 29 major fires have erupted this year in Spain, damaging a surface area five times greater than at the same time period in 2025, according to officials. More than 247,000 acres have burned so far, nearly equivalent to the country's average annual burned area over the past decade.
The wildfires are part of a broader wave of extreme summer blazes affecting southwestern Europe.
France has also carried out massive evacuations as heat and drought create dangerous fire conditions. Two major wildfires in the country have affected the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast, a popular summer destination and tourist hotspot near Bordeaux known for beaches, oyster villages, and holiday homes. Boats have been deployed to help evacuate those impacted by the fires, including many tourists.
As of Friday, wildfires in both central Spain and southwestern France have forced the evacuation of roughly 200,000 people.