Wildfire-affected residents of Estepona, Benahavís and Archez can now apply for government support

The declaration, approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday on the recommendation of the Ministry of the Interior, allows those affected to apply for government assistance and paves the way for additional financial, tax and employment support.

The affected locations in Andalucía include Alosno, Villanueva de Castillejos, Almonaster la Real and two separate fires in Cerro del Andévalo (all in Huelva province), as well as Guillena in Seville, Santa Elena in Jaén, Grazalema in Cadiz, the Estepona-Benahavís area and Archez in Malaga, Los Gallardos in Almeria, Cerro Muriano in Cordoba and Pino del Valle in Granada, according to the Government Delegation in Andalucía.

The declaration also covers wildfires in the Madrid region and the provinces of Ávila and Toledo, which prompted Spain's first ever declaration of a national civil protection emergency for wildfires on 23 July. A recent wildfire in Vall d'Uixó, in Castellón province, is also included. Firefighting operations remain underway in both cases.

The Cabinet also highlighted the wildfire in Los Gallardos, Almeria, as one of the most serious incidents of the period because of its human and material toll, after 14 people lost their lives.

Under Spain's National Civil Protection System Act, those affected can apply for assistance from the Ministry of the Interior dating back to when the emergencies occurred.

The aid covers personal injury, damage to homes and household belongings, expenses incurred by local authorities and losses suffered by industrial, commercial and service businesses. Support is also available for individuals and organisations that provided personnel or equipment during the emergency response.

The government is also considering exemptions from certain fees charged by Spain's traffic authority, including replacement vehicle registration documents, driving licences and the deregistration of vehicles destroyed in the fires, as well as fees for replacing national identity cards.

The designation allows other government departments to introduce further support measures, including tax relief. The Ministry of Finance is expected to confirm exemptions from the IBI property tax and reductions in the IAE business activities tax, while compensation for personal injury will remain exempt from personal income tax, as is usual in these cases.

The government is also considering employment and social security measures through the relevant ministries, together with grants of up to 50 per cent for local councils to repair municipal infrastructure, facilities and equipment.

In addition, ministries will be able to designate damaged public infrastructure as special action areas and fast-track emergency repair works within their own areas of responsibility.

Repairs to infrastructure, public facilities and services, replacement of damaged assets and damage assessment contracts may all be treated as emergency procurement under Spain's Public Sector Contracts Act, regardless of their value.

Where necessary, land or property required for these works may also be subject to urgent compulsory purchase procedures under Spain's Compulsory Expropriation Act.