Spain wildfires: 75,000 evacuated, Valencia region hit

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• AEMET has kept a yellow warning in force this afternoon for storms, hail and strong gusts in several parts of the Comunitat Valenciana.
• Metrovalencia will run its metro and tram lines on the Saturday timetable on weekdays throughout August, cutting frequencies.
• Valencia City Council has begun a 215,000 euro renovation of the Pardalets nursery school in Algirós, including air conditioning, with works due to run until January 2027.
• The city has opened its Bonos Comercio VLC 2026 scheme, offering residents 25 euros to spend in local shops.
• EMT, Valencia's municipal transport operator, has approved handing a legal case to the firm Andersen without a public tender, at a cost of at least 500,000 euros.

Today's essentials

Spain wildfires: 75,000 evacuated, Valencia region hit. Around 75,000 people were evacuated across the Madrid and Valencia regions during a wave of wildfires in late July 2026, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warning of "difficult and complex hours" ahead as a new heatwave set in, according to franceinfo.

The national picture was heavy. El Español reported more than 85,000 hectares burned, roughly 75,000 people evacuated, one death and 15 provinces affected as of 26 July 2026. The single fatality named in that account was found in the Valencia region: a body recovered inside a vehicle in Manises. That death was reported by El Español alone and was not independently confirmed elsewhere in this reporting, so it should be read with that caveat.

For the Valencia region itself, the most serious front was at la Vall d'Uixó, in the province of Castellón. theobjective.com reported that the blaze there burned an estimated 6,500 to 7,200 hectares, the figure varying between sources, and forced more than 16,000 people from their homes, with seven people injured.

The overall figure of 75,000 evacuees is consistent across accounts, but its geographic breakdown is not. El Español put it at 30,000 in Madrid, 30,000 in Ávila and 15,000 in Castellón, while a separate distribution circulated of 60,000 in Madrid and 15,000 in the Valencia region. Sánchez, who visited the forward command post at Navalcarnero near Madrid, said on 29 July 2026 that Spain was "closer to defeating the fire" in Madrid and Ávila and that "the next 12 hours will be decisive," according to La Moncloa, the Spanish government's official site. He renewed his call for a national pact on climate change, describing the fires as "the most painful expression of a climate emergency" rather than a run of isolated events.

On the ground, Spain drew on outside help: air support from Greece and Italy, and Portuguese military personnel, were deployed as reinforcements, according to cross-checked reporting.

What this means for you: these events peaked in the last week of July 2026, about a week before today, so if you live in or are travelling around the Valencia region, treat the specific evacuation and hectare figures above as a late-July snapshot rather than today's situation, and check official sources before assuming any area is still closed or still at risk. For live status, follow Emergencias GVA and the Generalitat Valenciana's official accounts, and call 112 in an emergency; with more heat in the forecast, keeping fire-risk zones and burn bans in mind stays sensible.

What you need to know

• Towns affected : Manises, in the Valencia region, and la Vall d'Uixó, in the province of Castellón, were among the areas affected; further inland, the Madrid region and Ávila also saw major evacuations (El Español, theobjective.com, late July 2026).
• Roads closed or diverted : Not available at this time in the facts provided.
• Official instructions : Mass evacuations were ordered: more than 16,000 people around la Vall d'Uixó and about 75,000 across the Madrid and Valencia regions combined, according to theobjective.com and franceinfo (late July 2026).
• Air quality : Not available at this time in the facts provided.
• Official numbers & channels : Call 112 for emergencies; follow Emergencias GVA and the Generalitat Valenciana's official channels for regional updates.
• Last updated : 29 July 2026, when Pedro Sánchez spoke at the Navalcarnero forward command post, according to La Moncloa.

Situation ongoing: this article will be updated.

Weather today

Valencia today: warm and partly cloudy. Valencia city sees partly cloudy skies today, with lows around 24C and highs near 32C and wind up to 16 km/h, according to Open-Meteo, so keep water and shade close during the hottest hours.

Transport & traffic

• EMT's 500,000 euro no-bid legal deal. elDiario.es Comunitat Valenciana reports that Valencia's municipal transport operator EMT has approved handing a legal case to the firm Andersen without a public tender, at a cost of at least half a million euros. The case targets Indra over an app financed with European funds, and the board's stated reason for skipping a competitive process was that gathering several bids "would have meant a high number of meetings." For everyday riders nothing changes at the bus stop, but this is public money spent by the same operator that runs the city's buses, and elDiario.es notes the sum will reach at least 500,000 euros, which makes it a transparency question worth watching for anyone who cares how EMT's budget is used.
• Metro on Saturday timetable all August. From this Monday, Metrovalencia's metro and tram lines will run on the Saturday timetable on weekdays throughout August, meaning noticeably lower frequencies, according to Valencia Secreta. Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) applies this reduced summer schedule every August, but it still catches people out. In practice it means longer waits between trains and trams on working days across all Metrovalencia lines, so if you commute or rely on the metro to reach the airport or the beach, add a margin to your journey and check the next departure before you leave rather than turning up expecting peak-season frequencies.

What's changing for you

• Air conditioning coming to Pardalets nursery. Valencia City Council has started renovating the municipal Pardalets nursery school and will install air conditioning, according to Valencia Plaza. If your child attends the Pardalets center, this is the practical takeaway: after summers with no cooling, the classrooms are finally getting air conditioning, which matters most in the June-to-September heat. Expect building work at the site while it happens, and keep an eye on the school's own notices for any temporary changes to access or rooms during the works.
• 215,000 euros for Pardalets, works to January 2027. According to Valencia Extra, the Pardalets nursery in Algirós is getting its biggest overhaul in years, a 215,000 euro project to seal leaks, install air conditioning and upgrade the building's safety, with works scheduled through January 2027. The concrete point for families in Algirós: this is a multi-month intervention running until early 2027, not a quick summer touch-up, so plan around ongoing works into next year. The 215,000 euro budget covers waterproofing against leaks, the new air conditioning and security upgrades, and Valencia Extra sets the completion date at January 2027, which is the timeline to anticipate if you have a child enrolled or are considering the center.

Local news to know

• AEMET: hail risk this afternoon. Valencia Extra reports that AEMET has kept a yellow warning in force for showers, storms, hail and strong wind gusts in several areas of the Comunitat Valenciana this afternoon.
• 25 euros to spend in city shops. Valencia City Council has opened applications for its Bonos Comercio VLC 2026 scheme, which hands 25 euros per person to spend in local shops, according to Valencia Secreta.
• Hunting for eclipse glasses. A user on Reddit's r/valencia is asking where to buy glasses to watch next week's eclipse, a reminder that a solar eclipse is expected in the days ahead.
• Looking for Valencia's alt and gamer crowd. A 31-year-old resident who has lived in the city for about four years is asking on Reddit's r/valencia where to meet alternative and gamer communities, according to the post.

Tonight and tomorrow, Valencia

• Elche's August fiestas are under way. Valencia Bonita reports that Elche's August fiestas are running now, with concerts, the Nit de l'Albà fireworks night and the Misteri d'Elx. Elche sits in the province of Alicante, south of Valencia and reachable by car or train, which makes its August fiestas an easy trip if you want music, tradition and one of the country's best-known fireworks displays.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow