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Spain is lifting a state of national emergency imposed because of the severe wildfires raging near Madrid after progress was made to contain them, Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez announced on Thursday.<\/p>\n
But the premier still called on the public to exercise caution in light of a new heatwave set to bring extreme temperatures to the country in the coming days.<\/p>\n
Several of the most severe fires were caused by carelessness, S\u00e1nchez said during a visit to the emergency response centre in the town of Navaluenga in the province of \u00c1vila, around 100 kilometres west of the Spanish capital.<\/p>\n
“Such actions will not go unpunished,” he said.<\/p>\n
Following days of fire-fighting efforts, the three fires in the Sierra Oeste region and in the neighbouring provinces of \u00c1vila and Toledo have now been largely contained or brought fully under control and are no longer spreading.<\/p>\n
Most evacuation orders and other movement restrictions, which affected a total of around 90,000 people, have been lifted.<\/p>\n
One of the fires raging in \u00c1vila was the largest ever recorded in the country since records began in 1968, devastating around 50,000 hectares of land.<\/p>\n
The fire was caused by a large excavator fitted with a hydraulic hammer, which was being used illegally in the area to clear a path for livestock, according to media reports.<\/p>\n
The El Mundo daily reported, citing the police, that sparks were generated during the work, which set the dry undergrowth alight. The police temporarily detained the owner and questioned him. The investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, there was also a sense of relief in the province of Castell\u00f3n on the Levante coast, with a fire in the Vall d’Uix\u00f3 area, north of Valencia, also contained, according to the authorities.<\/p>\n
The flames raged across some 9,300 hectares of land, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.<\/p>\n
However, the situation in Spain remains tense, with three new wildfires having since broken out, state broadcaster TVE reported on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The latest fires, in the province of Le\u00f3n in the north-west of the country, have so far forced 300 residents from the area around the village of San Cipriano to leave their homes. They have been temporarily accommodated in schools and sports halls.<\/p>\n
Earlier, another fire broke out in a nature reserve in the province of Zamora, near the border with Portugal, forcing the evacuation of a campsite and 12 villages on Thursday morning, with around 1,000 people affected, the broadcaster reported.<\/p>\n
Firefighters and emergency services have since managed to contain the flames on two fronts, according to local authorities.<\/p>\n
Both regions also experienced severe fires last year that destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of forest and scrubland.<\/p>\n
The new fires coincide with the fourth heatwave of 2026, which is expected to last until at least Sunday.<\/p>\n
Temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius and strong winds are hampering fire-fighting efforts in many places. Several fires are also active in neighbouring Portugal and France.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n