The Day Madrid's Firestorm Merged

Editorial priorities on July 24 were overwhelmingly dominated by the wildfire crisis in Madrid and Ávila. The day began with the government declaring a national emergency and requesting EU aerial assistance as three fires forced 10,000 evacuations. By mid-morning, the fronts merged into a single, uncontrolled blaze, prompting evacuations of additional municipalities and pushing the affected population to over 20,000. Coverage throughout the afternoon tracked the fire's advance toward El Escorial, with authorities repeatedly describing the situation as 'beyond extinction capacity.' By evening, evacuations and confinements surpassed 60,000 people. The Plus Ultra scandal, featuring a judge's rejection of Zapatero's nullity request and new testimony orders, received secondary attention. Other stories, including Trump's new tariffs and the Constitutional Court's amnesty ruling, were largely sidelined.