Sentinel-2 Satellite Reveals Scale of Madrid Wildfires That Forced 90,000 Evacuations

Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery shows the extent of wildfires west of Madrid that led to more than 90,000 evacuations over the weekend.

This article was drafted with AI assistance from multiple sources and was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication.

Satellite imagery from the European Copernicus programme has laid bare the scale of the wildfires that have been raging west of Madrid, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite captured an image of the area on 26 July 2026, revealing active fire fronts and the extent of the burn scars. According to the European Space Agency, the near-infrared channel of the satellite’s multispectral imager was used to highlight the active fire fronts, making the flames stand out against the surrounding terrain.

One of the worst affected areas is the region around Ávila, located approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Madrid. Over the weekend of 24 to 26 July 2026, more than 90,000 people were evacuated from the area as the fires spread.

The EU Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service was activated on 23 July 2026 to support the response to the central Spain wildfires. The service provides satellite-based mapping products to aid disaster management authorities.

Each Sentinel-2 satellite carries a wide-swath, high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands, enabling detailed observation of land surfaces. On the same day, the satellite also captured a zoomed-in view over ESA’s Cebreros ground station, located in the vicinity of the fires.