The central government declares a national interest emergency following a request from the Community of Madrid. President Ayuso describes the fire as "the worst in history" for the region, with three fronts merged in Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.
The Sierra Oeste of Madrid is experiencing critical hours. The forest fire that began in Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias has merged into a single front that has already scorched over 6,000 hectares. The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has stated that this is the worst fire in the region's history. The situation has led the Ministry of the Interior to declare a national interest emergency, at the request of the regional government.
The municipalities of Navas del Rey, Colmenar del Arroyo and Chapinería have had to join the evacuations. Authorities acknowledge that the situation is critical and complicated. The combination of high temperatures, low humidity and wind is hindering firefighting efforts.
The Sierra Oeste has historically been the area most affected by fires in the Community of Madrid. According to experts, this is not a coincidence. Eduardo Rojas Briales, a professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València and former deputy director general of the FAO, explains in statements to Science Media Centre that this area concentrates several factors that make it particularly vulnerable.
One of the main factors is the lack of precipitation. The Sierra Oeste, which borders Ávila and Toledo, is the part of the Central system with the least rainfall due to the altitude of the highest peaks decreasing nearly a thousand meters from the vertical of Ávila to El Escorial. This causes the vegetation to be drier and more prone to burning than in other areas of the sierra.
Additionally, the sandy, nutrient-poor soils do not retain water, which favours the presence of species such as the holm oak and the stone and resin pines, instead of wetter trees like the Scots pine. This is compounded by strong urban pressure that has generated numerous scattered constructions, many predating modern regulations, which increase risk and hinder the protection of homes.
The climatic context further exacerbates the situation. Juli G. Pausas, a researcher at CSIC in CIDE, points out that with rising temperatures and heatwaves, “almost any type of vegetation can catch fire.” For Pausas, these fires are “the chronicle of a foretold situation” and, once climate change is accepted, they become “normal.”
Historical data shows that the Sierra Oeste has already suffered major fires in the past. In 1985, a fire burned over 2,300 hectares of woodland in Robledo de Chavela and Valdemaqueda, considered for years the worst of the 20th century in the region. In 1991, San Martín de Valdeiglesias also suffered a significant fire, and in 2003 and 2019 other serious fires were recorded, although none of the magnitude of the current one.
President Ayuso has called for caution and urged citizens to take extreme precautions. Meanwhile, firefighting teams, supported by aerial and ground resources from the State, continue to work tirelessly to contain the flames. The priority is to protect people and prevent the fire from advancing towards urban areas.
Evacuated residents have been relocated to shelters set up by the municipalities. The Community of Madrid has activated all available resources, including the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which has already been deployed in the area. Weather forecasts for the coming days are not favourable, with temperatures remaining high and no rain in sight.
The regional government insists that citizen cooperation is key: to avoid any activity that could generate fire in the mountains and to follow the authorities' instructions. The Sierra Oeste fire is already an ecological and human disaster that will mark a before and after in the history of the Community of Madrid.
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