Wildfires force mass evacuations in central Spain VIDEO

More than 40,000 people have been evacuated across central Spain as sweeping wildfires rage through the autonomous community of Madrid and the neighbouring province of Ávila in Castile and León.

An additional 20,000 residents have been ordered to shelter indoors as thick smoke and active flames continue to disrupt the region, according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

Authorities have shut down several major roads to traffic as emergency crews work to contain the blazes, which are estimated to cover roughly 20,000 hectares.

The evacuations have impacted critical infrastructure, including NASA’s Deep Space Communications Complex near Madrid, where approximately 100 staff members were safely evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Both regional authorities in Madrid and the province of Ávila have declared a state of emergency to mobilise maximum resources and coordinate response efforts.

Despite the scale of the disaster, government officials expressed cautious optimism on the morning of July 25 following a shift in environmental conditions overnight.

According to the Spanish government’s regional delegate office in Madrid, fire intensity dropped noticeably overnight as higher humidity levels and lower temperatures helped firefighting crews gain ground against the flames. However, the fires remain active and are not yet fully brought under control.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to visit the affected areas later today to assess the damage and oversee the emergency response operations firsthand.

By Sabina Mammadli