Madrid, 25 July 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Spain has declared a state of emergency for the area surrounding the capital Madrid and another region as forest fires continue to rage.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X on Friday: "We are living through a dramatic situation, not only in various Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighbouring countries."

There are also major fires in France and Italy.

Earlier, the Interior Ministry announced on X that additional personnel would be deployed to help combat the fires. Operational command has been transferred to a military crisis unit reporting directly to the government, the ministry said.

The declaration of a "state of emergency of national significance" means that additional funding can be unlocked for emergency response.

According to public broadcaster RTVE, this is the first time such a state of emergency has been declared because of forest fires.

More than 20,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, including around 10,000 in the Greater Madrid area.

In the north-western region of Ávila, about 1,500 residents were evacuated. In several municipalities, the flames have even threatened the town centres.

Many evacuees are staying in emergency shelters or with relatives and friends while they await permission to return home.

Authorities fear further evacuations may be necessary as firefighters struggle to bring the blazes under control. The Interior Ministry warned that "particularly unfavourable" weather conditions were expected on Friday, with strong winds likely to fuel the fires further.

The fires in Spain are also threatening a NASA station in the Sierra Oeste, the western mountain range of the Madrid region. 

The fire had practically reached the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex in Robledo de Chavela, around 50 kilometres west of the Spanish capital, the station's manager, Raúl Alonso, told the newspaper ABC.

The station's approximately 50 staff members, as well as the residents of the local community, have been brought to safety. "We hope that at least some of the systems have not been damaged," said Alonso. The station has six antennas.

More than 125,000 hectares of land has burned in Spain so far this year.

Photo: EPA