Pedro Sánchez announces the end of the national state of emergency due to the fires in Ávila and Madrid and the de-escalation to operational level 2
The President of the Government of Spain has issued a reassuring message to residents in the affected areas, stating that "although there is a change in operational command, all the resources of the UME and the National Civil Protection System will remain in place" and "we will remain on alert and monitor the fire's progress".
Advanced Command Post, Navaluenga (Ávila)
Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa
Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa
The head of the Executive described this first national emergency response led by the UME - carried out jointly with the National Civil Protection System and with the collaboration of relevant public institutions - as a "reasonable success", noting its ability to provide an "effective response" to the massive scale of the fire. He highlighted the "more than 150 consecutive hours of tireless work by all the operational units that fought the fire on the front lines", to whom "we owe a message of eternal gratitude".
During his speech, the president expressed his satisfaction that the various levels of government had worked "as a single team against that common enemy - fire - which demanded the utmost effort from everyone".
He also reiterated the Government of Spain's willingness to reach "what is likely the most important agreement our country needs: a State Pact to address the climate emergency". "We must stand united in our response, but we must also stand united in our efforts at prevention and reconstruction", he emphasised.
The president also called on all citizens to exercise the utmost "caution" in the face of a new heatwave, noting that some of the most devastating fires we are currently experiencing "are caused by carelessness, by human action". In this regard, he gave an assurance that such acts "cannot and will not go unpunished".
Finally, Pedro Sánchez reiterated his gratitude to the media for their work in combating disinformation and hoaxes "which only serve to cause distress to people who are already deeply distressed", and urged residents in the affected areas to rely on them for information.