The forest fire declared in Burgohondo, in the province of Ávila, has already burned about 50,000 hectares, a figure that makes it the largest fire in the history of Spain since records have been kept. The size of the fire far exceeds the major fires of recent years and places this emergency on an unprecedented scale for firefighting and civil protection services.
So far, the largest recorded fire was that of Larouco, Quiroga and Oencia, which in August 2025 affected areas of Ourense, Lugo, and León and burned 37,765 hectares. The fire in Burgohondo already surpasses that mark and worsens the balance of a particularly tough campaign, marked by simultaneous fires, mass evacuations, lockdowns, and damages still pending assessment.
La Mierla falls to third position
The fire that originated on July 16 in La Mierla, in Guadalajara, had escalated in recent days to become the second largest recorded fire, with about 32,000 hectares affected. However, the evolution of Burgohondo now displaces it to third position in the historical ranking of major fires in Spain.
The succession of records in just a few days shows the severity of the current situation. In a very short time, several fires have reached areas that under normal conditions would already be considered extraordinary, confirming the magnitude of a forest emergency that affects several territories at the same time and is forcing the mobilization of regional, state, and other community resources.
Madrid, Ávila, and Toledo total 77,000 burned hectares
In total, the fires affecting Madrid, Ávila, and Toledo have already burned about 77,000 hectares, a figure that reflects the territorial extent of the emergency and the accumulated impact of the different fronts. The fire has not only destroyed forest mass but also agricultural land, pastures, infrastructure, homes, and natural spaces whose recovery will take years.
The situation has forced the evacuation of municipalities, maintenance of lockdowns, road closures, and the establishment of reception points for thousands of residents. Although some fronts may be contained or evolve favorably at times, the emergency remains open and teams are working to prevent re-ignitions, protect inhabited areas, and consolidate perimeters in hard-to-access zones.
The Government will declare severely affected areas
The president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has announced that the Council of Ministers will approve this Tuesday the royal decree that will declare as areas severely affected by a civil protection emergency the territories ravaged by the flames. This figure, commonly known as a declaration of a catastrophic zone, allows for the activation of state aid to repair damages and support neighbors, businesses, farms, and local institutions.
The declaration will be key to opening the reconstruction phase once the teams can safely assess the actual extent of the damages. The aid may be directed to homes, essential goods, municipal infrastructures, roads, public services, agricultural and livestock farms, and economic activities affected by the fire.
One arrested and another person investigated
As a consequence of the fire in Burgohondo, the Guardia Civil has already arrested one person and is investigating another for an alleged crime of forest fire. The investigation will seek to determine the exact origin of the flames, the circumstances in which the fire occurred, and the possible criminal responsibility of those involved.
The Junta de Castilla y León has announced that it will appear as a prosecution in the proceedings, a decision aimed at strengthening the institutional response to a fire of historical consequences. The immediate priority remains extinguishing the fire, but the judicial route will be decisive in clarifying whether the fire could have been prevented and who should be held accountable for the damage caused.
An emergency with historical impact
The fire in Burgohondo is no longer just one of the major fires of this campaign, but a historical reference due to its burned area. Its 50,000 hectares devastated place it above any other fire recorded in Spain and require measuring the emergency in environmental, economic, social, and judicial terms.
The final balance will still take time to be known, because it will be necessary to assess homes, roads, mountains, farms, and damages on the ground when access is safe. But the magnitude is already clear: Burgohondo has entered the dark history of forest fires in Spain and will condition the recovery of an important part of Ávila for years.