The Spanish government has declared a national-level state of emergency due to major wildfires in the western part of the Madrid region and the threat of their spread into the province of Ávila.

The fires broke out simultaneously in several areas, including Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias. Due to intense heat, strong winds, and difficult weather conditions, regional services were unable to bring the situation under control on their own.

More than 10,000 people were evacuated from dangerous areas. More than 270 specialists, dozens of vehicles, and units of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) are involved in firefighting efforts.

Authorities note that this level of response is used extremely rarely. Wildfires are currently continuing in various regions of Spain, and one of the largest — north of Madrid — has destroyed more than 30 hectares of land. Earlier, train traffic on the high-speed route between Madrid and Barcelona was temporarily suspended due to a fire.