End of National Emergency for Fires in Madrid and Ávila: What Changes on July 30, 2026

Key data

The forest fires that on July 23, 2026 forced the Ministry of Interior to declare a national emergency in the Community of Madrid and the province of Ávila have evolved sufficiently for the State to return command to the regional governments. Order INT/788/2026, published in the BOE on July 31 with effects from the previous day, formally ends that exceptional declaration.

The key concept is "stabilized": the fires are not extinguished, but their evolution no longer justifies coordinated intervention at the national level. This has direct consequences on who is in command, what resources are mobilized, and what obligations remain in force for residents of the affected areas.

What does this regulation establish?

Order INT/788/2026 provides for the cessation of the effects of Order INT/748/2026, which had declared the national emergency on July 23, 2026. The legal framework governing this transition is that of regional civil protection plans in operational situation 2.

The specific elements established by the order are as follows:

• The regional administrations of Madrid and Castilla y León (for Ávila) recover the direction and coordination of all actions related to the fires.
• In the province of Ávila, all evacuations of people have ended.
• In the Community of Madrid, active preventive measures remain in place in urbanizations in San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa.
• Surveillance, elimination of hot spots, and recovery of affected areas continue, now under regional management.
• The effects of the order are immediate as of July 30, 2026, the date of its agreement, although its publication in the BOE occurred on July 31.

Economic and operational impact

The lifting of the national emergency has concrete operational and economic implications for several actors:

• Regional administrations: They assume the full cost of fire management. During the national emergency, the State coordinates and can mobilize federal resources; when it ends, regional budgets absorb the costs of surveillance, elimination of hot spots, and recovery of affected areas.
• Companies and economic activities in affected areas: The end of evacuations in Ávila allows the reactivation of agricultural, tourism, and commercial activities in the affected municipalities. In Madrid, preventive restrictions in San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa may continue to limit access to urbanizations and, therefore, local economic activity.
• Tourism and hospitality sector: Both Madrid municipalities are rural tourism and reservoir destinations. The preventive measures in force in their urbanizations may prolong the negative impact on hotel occupancy and local commerce.
• Insurance and claims: The end of the national emergency does not mean the end of damages. Affected companies and individuals must initiate or continue claims procedures with their insurers and, where appropriate, with the Insurance Compensation Consortium, as deadlines may be in progress.

Who does it affect?

• Evacuated residents in Madrid and Ávila: Those in Ávila can return; those in urbanizations in San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa must follow instructions from the Community of Madrid.
• Regional administrations of Madrid and Castilla y León: They recover operational command and budgetary responsibility.
• Regional emergency services: Firefighters, SUMMA, regional Civil Protection, and forest surveillance teams assume direction of operations.
• Companies with activity in affected areas: Agriculture, livestock, rural tourism, hospitality, and commerce in the municipalities of San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa, and affected municipalities in Ávila.
• Owners of urbanizations: In San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa, homeowners associations must be attentive to regional instructions on access and use of facilities.
• Insurance companies and the Insurance Compensation Consortium: They must manage claims arising from damages caused by the fires.

Practical example

A homeowner in an urbanization in San Martín de Valdeiglesias who was evacuated preventively on July 23 cannot automatically assume that they can return on July 30 simply because the national emergency has ended. Order INT/788/2026 makes clear that in the urbanizations of that municipality and Pelayos de la Presa, active preventive measures remain in place under regional management.

This homeowner must:

1. Consult directly with the Community of Madrid or the Municipality of San Martín de Valdeiglesias about the exact status of preventive measures in their specific urbanization.
2. Not access the property until receiving express authorization from the competent regional or local authorities.
3. If they have suffered damages, contact their insurance company and, if applicable, the Insurance Compensation Consortium to initiate the claims process.

In contrast, a livestock farmer in the province of Ávila whose operation was in an evacuated area can resume their activity as of July 30, given that the order confirms the end of all evacuations in that territory.

What should administrations and affected parties do now?

1. Residents in Ávila: Verify with the corresponding municipality that access to your home is safe and that no local restrictions remain, even though the evacuation has formally ended.
2. Residents in San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa: Do not return without express authorization. Contact the Community of Madrid or the municipality to learn the exact status of preventive measures in your urbanization.
3. Companies with activity in affected areas: Assess damages suffered and activate claims mechanisms with insurers. Document all economic losses (loss of business, damage to facilities, shutdown costs) to support claims.
4. Regional administrations: Activate the protocols of operational situation 2 of their civil protection plans, assume direction of surveillance teams and hot spot elimination, and plan recovery of affected areas.
5. Homeowners associations in affected urbanizations in Madrid: Request information from regional authorities about the status of access and common infrastructure before communicating to owners that they can return.
6. Regulatory monitoring: Be alert to possible complementary regional orders regulating the recovery process, aid to affected parties, or the progressive lifting of preventive measures in Madrid.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source (BOE-A-2026-16657)

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-16657