Spain’s response to wildfires has been infuriating

An Air Tractor AT-802F Fire Boss aircraft dumps water over a wildfire burning near San Martin de Valdeiglesias, about 70km west of Madrid, on July 26, 2026.

Spanish firefighters today battled a new front of fires near the coastal city of Valencia, where at least 15,000 people were evacuated.

In the western Madrid region, two separate wildfires merged on July 24 into a massive blaze that nearly joined another fire in neighboring Castile and Leon.

The flames have already burned 25,000 hectares across Madrid and neighboring Avila province, forcing more than 60,000 people (a downwardly revised figure) to flee their homes, according to authorities, who labeled the fire the "worst in history" for the Madrid region.

(Photo by Cesar MANSO / AFP) ...