Red sun, orange sky as Madrid battles worst wildfire in its history
Updated: 25/07/2026 - 11:12 GMT+2 Wildfires near Madrid and Ávila forced tens of thousands to evacuate, turning the sky orange and the sun blood-red over affected...
Updated: 25/07/2026 - 11:12 GMT+2
Wildfires near Madrid and Ávila forced tens of thousands to evacuate, turning the sky orange and the sun blood-red over affected towns.
Wildfires raging near Madrid turned the sky orange and the sun blood-red over the village of Zarzalejo, as authorities battled what regional leader Isabel Díaz-Ayuso called the worst fire in the capital's history.
Two major blazes merged into one, burning 30 square kilometers by Friday and forcing evacuations or home confinement for some 60,000 people.
A separate fire in nearby Ávila consumed 90 square kilometers. Spain's Civil Guard arrested one man over the alleged use of heavy machinery in a high fire-risk zone.
PM Pedro Sánchez is set to visit the region on Saturday as temperatures top 39°C amid an ongoing heatwave.
