A forest fire is raging and spreading in a mountainous area north of Madrid. 13,000 hectares have burned, and the fire is described as difficult to extinguish.

More than 700 people have been evacuated and around 300 firefighters are working to try to put out the fire that broke out on Thursday, according to local authorities.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez writes on X that his government is closely following the forest fire and thanks the emergency services who are “working tirelessly” to protect lives.

The flames have spread to parts of the Sierra Norte nature reserve, where many endangered species are found.

Spanish rescue services also say that a forest fire that broke out near Zaragoza earlier this week is under control.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2026