Spanish government assumes command of wildfire response after declaring national emergency in Madrid region and Ávila
Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez has declared a national emergency covering the Madrid region and the neighboring province of Ávila after fast-moving wildfires threatened populated areas and prompted the activation of Level 3, the country’s highest civil protection emergency reserved for incidents of national interest. The order was signed on July 23 and published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on July 24.

