On Friday evening, the Spanish authorities announced that the wildfires raging in the Madrid capital region have reached their peak, asserting that controlling or extinguishing them is impossible at the moment due to ongoing severe weather conditions.
Carlos Novillo, the regional governor, stated during a press conference at the firefighting operations command center that the fire has reached its highest level of spread. He explained that the firefighting teams are currently focusing their efforts on containing the expansion of the fire and protecting residents and property.
Amid the deteriorating situation, the Spanish government declared a national emergency after evacuating about 10,000 people from several villages in the central area of Madrid, as the fires spiraled out of control due to heatwaves and winds.
Under the emergency declaration, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior has taken direct oversight of firefighting operations, coordinating with security forces and emergency services to bolster efforts to contain the disaster.
The office of the Spanish Prime Minister announced that Pedro Sanchez would visit the rescue operations coordination center on Saturday to monitor the situation in the field and review relief and firefighting operations.
This year's wildfires are among the worst in Spain's history. The flames have consumed over 100,000 hectares of forests and land, including approximately 32,000 hectares in the Guadalajara province, marking the country's second-largest fire ever. Earlier this month, wildfires in southern Spain resulted in 13 fatalities.
Spanish authorities continue their efforts to curb the spread of the flames, amid warnings of a persistent heatwave which makes controlling the fires increasingly difficult and threatens more expansion in the coming days.