The wildfires in Madrid and Ávila have forced Spain to request international reinforcements. With more than 11,500 people evacuated and three active fronts out of control, the Government has activated the European Response Mechanism to receive aerial support from other EU countries.

Greece and Italy send firefighting aircraft

According to eldiario.es, Spain has requested through the Military Emergency Unit (UME) at least four fixed-wing firefighting aircraft, to be sent by Greece and Italy. A preparatory meeting is scheduled for this Friday morning to coordinate the deployment of these international resources.

This request for community aid reflects the magnitude of the crisis: the fronts at Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias in Madrid, together with the one at Burgohondo in Ávila, are advancing rapidly with increasing complexity due to adverse weather conditions.

National emergency and unprecedented mobilization

The Government declared a national emergency in the early hours of Friday following a request from Madrid's regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. The decision is justified by several critical factors:

• Rapid fire spread across multiple simultaneous fronts
• Direct risk to populated urban centres
• Potential impact that extends beyond territorial boundaries
• Extreme complexity of firefighting operations

Pedro Sánchez chaired from La Moncloa the meeting of the State Coordination Committee of the State Emergency Plan, which concluded after 10:00 in the morning. The Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who directs the operation, and the Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, also participated remotely.

One thousand military personnel and reinforcements from other regions

The Government has mobilized one thousand military personnel to work on the ground alongside firefighters, forest rangers, Civil Guard and emergency services. In addition, personnel from other autonomous communities are being deployed: Andalusia will send staff to Madrid, while Extremadura will strengthen operations in Castilla y León.

This concentration of resources indicates the severity of the situation. The order published in the BOE on Friday emphasizes that the "concurrence of fires" combined with weather conditions has "significantly increased the complexity" of operations, requiring "coordinated action under single command criteria".

A worrying picture

With more than 11,500 evacuated and three main active fire sources simultaneously, the situation remains tense. The fires at Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias remained out of control at the time of writing this report, although their advance was limited during recent hours.

The appeal to Europe marks a turning point: it is a recognition that national resources, although massive, require international support to contain this crisis. The coming hours will be crucial in determining whether the combination of Spanish military personnel, firefighters, European aerial teams and favourable weather conditions will manage to control the fire before it causes further damage.