"Our priority, our thinking, our aim is for your lives, to save your lives and protect inhabited areas," Sanchez told reporters in the village of Cenicientos in the fire zone. Early on Saturday the smell of burning reached the streets of central Madrid, forcing them to keep their windows closed. The health ministry on X advised people to avoid staying outside for long periods because of bad air quality. I started coughing and I threw up," she told AFP at a gymnasium in the northern Madrid suburb of Alcobendas. Spain recorded its worst wildfire season in recent history in 2025, when more than 393,000 hectares were destroyed, EFFIS said.