The Government plans to approve this Tuesday, in the meeting of the Council of Ministers, the declaration of areas severely affected by a civil protection emergency for the areas damaged by the fires that are ravaging the western mountains of the Community of Madrid and various areas of the provinces of Ávila and Toledo.
This was advanced by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, during his visit to the Advanced Command Post in Navaluenga (Ávila), in a statement alongside the President of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, and the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
The head of the Executive has also warned that in "less than 24 hours" the hectares devastated by the 32 large fires recorded in this 2026 have increased "from 130,000 to 150,000 hectares," which means multiplying by six the burned area from the previous year, which "was already a particularly serious year in terms of the affected areas as a result of large fires."
The national system of coverage against catastrophic situations includes the figure of an area severely affected by a civil protection emergency to organize the package of actions and aid, both public and private, aimed at restoring normality in the affected territories.
The competence to declare an area as catastrophic lies with the Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Finance, although other administrations, such as regional governments or municipalities, can also formally request that declaration.
In this line, Mañueco, in the same intervention alongside Sánchez, has demanded the declaration of a catastrophic area due to the fires that particularly affect the province of Ávila, and has confirmed that the Junta de Castilla y León will appear as a plaintiff against the person responsible for the fire originated in Burgohondo (Ávila), caused by "negligence."
The regional president has indicated that coordination has already begun with farmers and ranchers for the supply of food for livestock, and has added that work will be activated for the recovery of damaged homes and buildings.
On the other hand, the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha has also announced that it will request the central Government for the declaration of a catastrophic area due to the fire that devastated 32,000 hectares in La Mierla (Guadalajara), and will ask that requests for aid be submitted to the European Union from the EU Solidarity Fund.