Pedro Sánchez: “The scale of the disaster we are living through is very hard to accept”

Spain's prime minister has thanked the media for their work in communicating accurate information and the public for their exemplary behaviour during these wildfires. Sánchez added that people needed to "exercise extreme caution".

Sánchez said there were still "difficult hours of work ahead", although he confirmed that the work carried out overnight had been very positive.

The president of the Castile and León region, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, described the cooperation between institutions as effective: "All the different tiers of government have been working together."

Here is a summary of the situation regarding the wildfires in Spain as of 26 July 2026:

• The flames have already burned around 45,000 hectares and 100,000 people have been evacuated or confined to their homes in Madrid and Ávila.
• Portugal, Greece and Italy have joined the efforts to extinguish the severe wildfires in Madrid and Ávila.
• The fire in Vall d'Uixò, in the province of Castellón, now has a perimeter of 21 kilometres and has forced 16,000 people to evacuate or remain confined.
• The Interior Ministry has extended the national emergency to the province of Toledo because of the Almorox fire.
• Spain's Military Emergency Unit (UME) has set up a unified command to fight the fires in Madrid and Ávila given the seriousness of the situation.
• Wildfires have devastated more than 152,000 hectares in Spain in 2026, six times more than in 2025.