Aldea de Fresno ordered to evacuate as forest fire burns near Madrid

Spanish authorities ordered 3,500 people in Aldea de Fresno, about 60 kilometres west of Madrid, to leave their homes on Thursday because of a forest fire described as burning out of control.

Emergency services said on X that evacuation messages had been sent to people in the town.

The order came one day after authorities told thousands of people in localities southwest of Madrid to evacuate because of another fire. Spain is facing high temperatures and drought, and forest fires have been spreading quickly, especially in arid areas.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that the government had deployed every available resource to stop fires affecting areas including Avila, Leon, Toledo, Madrid and other parts of Spain. He urged people to use great caution and follow instructions from authorities.

The largest fire reported by the source is in Guadalajara province, about 100 kilometres north of Madrid. It has devastated 32,000 hectares, or 80,000 acres, since last Thursday.

Almost 125,000 hectares have already burned in Spain this year, compared with 393,000 hectares for all of last year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.