Due to the severity of the forest fires affecting the Madrid region and the province of Ávila, the Spanish government declared a state of national emergency in these areas on Thursday night. The fires have already forced the evacuation of at least 85,000 people in both regions.

Madrid is the worst-affected region, with three major fires in the towns of Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias merging into one large fire, which forced the evacuation of 10 neighbouring municipalities.

Carlos Novillo, Madrid's Environment, Agriculture and Home Affairs minister, said that around 35,000 hectares have been affected by the fires and over 85,000 people have been evacuated or confined to their homes.

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Novillo warned that the next 24 hours will be very challenging” due to strong winds.

The president of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, described the situation as the “worst fire in the history of the Madrid region”.

The president said that there have been the “perfect storm”, and agreed with Novillo that “these are extremely difficult hours”.

The Interior Minister, Fernando Grande Marlaska, also underlined that “today is a critical day”. “The atmospheric situation is adverse, so we cannot be optimistic, but we are doing everything possible”, he added.

Furthermore, Ayuso confirmed that around 125 people were treated for minor injuries, mainly smoke inhalation or anxiety attacks, and at least 43 homes have been destroyed.

Fear that the fire will get worse

This is the first time a fire in Madrid has forced the activation of Level 3 of the State Emergency Protection Plan.

Meanwhile, in the north-west region of Castilla y León, the most concerning active fire is in Burgohondo, Ávila, which has destroyed over 13,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 people since Wednesday.

For the regional administration, the greatest concern currently lies in the south of the mountain range.

Authorities and anti-fire units from both regions fear that the two fires could merge. Although Morillo has stated that the Ávila fire "is not expected to arrive" within the next few hours, "due to the wind conditions, we are already working as if this situation could occur".

Given the severity of the situation, and at the Spanish government's request, the European Commission's Crisis Management and Humanitarian Aid spokesperson, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, announced on Friday that they have mobilised four aircraft from Greece and Italy to help extinguish the fires.

Christian camps centre undamaged

Pinos Reales, an evangelical camp and retreat centre with over 50 years of history, is located in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, one of the municipalities where the fires originated. It belongs to the Evangelismo en Acción (Evangelism in Action, EEA) ministry.

Ana María Huck Vangioni, a member of the EEA board and the current coordinator of Pinos Reales, told Spanish news website, Protestante Digital that “the centre has not been damaged, according to the guard of a nearby estate”.

However, for security reasons, the group of around 100 people due to stay at the centre today have been asked to postpone or cancel their visit. "There is currently no one at the centre”, explains its director, Benjamín Martín.

After speaking with the emergency services, Martín states that 'access to San Martín de Valdeiglesias has been closed since yesterday, the five bus lines have been suspended, there is no mobile coverage, the area is impassable and the weather conditions continue to hinder the extinguishing process'.

"May the Lord not only protect the ministry that Pinos Reales carries out, but also the lives of many neighbours trapped between the different fronts, is our prayer and request”, says Ana Maria Huck.

Martín calls on Christians to join them in continuing to “cry out to the Lord for His mercy, so that no lives are lost and the fire does not affect residential areas, homes and Pinos Reales”.