Forest fire northeast of Madrid rages for days – authorities see first signs of a turning point

On Tuesday, according to media reports, more than 600 firefighters and soldiers as well as 29 firefighting aircraft were deployed in the province of Guadalajara. According to media reports, they were temporarily supported by almost 50 firefighting planes and helicopters. "Über 600 Feuerwehrleute und Soldaten sowie 29 Löschfluggeräte waren demnach am Dienstag in der Provinz Guadalajara im Einsatz," Deutschlandfunk reported on 21.07.2026 in its programming.

The fire broke out on Thursday in a remote patch of forest and subsequently spread rapidly over adjacent hills. According to García-Page, emergency personnel worked through the night and practically stopped the spread of the flames toward the provincial capital Soria. The regional president spoke of "dem Licht am Ende des Tunnels" – authorities said that after five days they saw the first signs of hope in the battle against the fire.

Impact on the population

The consequences for the population are significant. Around 1,200 people in 34 localities have had to leave their homes so far. In a number of other places, residents were called on to stay in their homes. Parts of the Autonomous Community of Madrid were also affected by the fire.

The scale of destruction is enormous: 29,000 hectares of land have already burned, which according to authorities corresponds to more than 40,000 football pitches. Authorities pointed out, however, that updated satellite images could significantly reduce the estimate of 29,000 hectares.

Weather situation and heat wave

High temperatures and strong wind have additionally hampered firefighting efforts in recent days. According to Spain's weather service Aemet, Spain's third heat wave of this summer began on Tuesday. Aemet said the heat wave would be relatively short at three days.

The forest fire is part of a series of forest fires that has continued for weeks in Spain, Portugal and other European countries. Since the beginning of the year, major fires in Spain have destroyed more than 115,000 hectares of land, according to data from the European Commission's Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). In France, too, the forest fire danger remained very high according to reports.

Forest fires in Europe

In a separate fire that recently broke out in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, 13 people lost their lives, including, according to authorities, seven Britons and three Belgians. Most of the victims were said to be elderly foreign residents of the province of Almería.

At the same time, emergency personnel in the western French city of Nantes were combating a forest fire on the outskirts of the city, which had started on Monday afternoon from a burning car in a Roma settlement. Around 200 residents were evacuated, some accommodated in a gymnasium. In the morning, around 150 firefighters and 45 fire engines were deployed; several temporary shelters burned down, and according to reports no one was injured.

The Spanish authorities said on Tuesday they were cautiously optimistic that the major fire in Guadalajara could be brought under control. At the same time, they warned that further heat waves and the ongoing drought could continue to intensify the forest fire season across Europe.