Spain's 2026 forest fires scorch nearly 60% of burned area, documented by Greenpeace

In the second half of July 2026, a series of severe forest fires swept through central Spain, affecting the provinces of Toledo, Madrid West, Ávila, Segovia and Guadalajara. Aerial photography by Pedro Armestre for Greenpeace captured the scale of the blaze, which burned an estimated 107,041 hectares – about 59.5% of the total 180,000 hectares burned nationwide so far.

The largest megafires were at Burgohondo in Ávila (44,447 ha) and La Mierla in Guadalajara (32,100 ha). Urban areas on Madrid’s southwest fringe, including El Encinar del Alberche, El Club and several residential complexes in San Martín de Valdeiglesias (Costa de Madrid, San Ramón, Javacruz, Javariega, Veracruz), suffered extensive damage. The fires highlighted non‑compliance with Spain’s Basic Civil Protection Directive, which requires municipalities and urban‑forest interface developments to have emergency and self‑protection plans.