Evacuees near Madrid wait to return as wildfire burns through countryside

People evacuated from villages west of Madrid spent the night in temporary shelters as a wildfire continued to burn through the surrounding countryside.

Elvira Menendez, an 80-year-old resident of Chapineria, was among about 200 people who took shelter in a municipal gymnasium in Villaviciosa de Odon, about 30 kilometres from her home. She said the shelter was not like home, but that volunteers had provided blankets, showers, food and help for children.

Smoke still left the sky hazy on Saturday morning, even tens of kilometres from the fire, before winds cleared the air. The historic El Escorial monastery was also covered by a grey, smoke-filled mist.

Mar Nicolas, the mayor of nearby Brunete, said the fire had exceeded all imaginable limits. Brunete was hosting about 100 evacuees. She said saving lives was the priority, while also expressing concern about what she called a large natural disaster.

By Saturday, the fire had burned more than 25,000 hectares. About 60,000 people had to be evacuated in the Madrid region and the province of Avila.

Victoria Hurtado, a 61-year-old home care worker, fled Chapineria with the elderly sick man she cares for. She said they had time to take only small bags with clothes and medicine. She remained worried about when she could return home, but said she hoped conditions would improve because firefighters were working day and night.

The report said fierce fires in parts of France and Spain have followed drought and repeated record-breaking heatwaves in Western Europe since May, which have made forests and vegetation more flammable.

Antonio-Luis Rodriguez spent the night in the Villaviciosa de Odon sports hall with his son after leaving with only the clothes he was wearing. He was worried about his dog, which was left at his farm on the outskirts of San Martin de Valdeiglesia, another evacuated village.

Rodriguez criticised the authorities, saying they had not done enough to clear undergrowth. He said heavy winter rain had left pastures overgrown, and that abandoned farms and heat-dried vegetation allowed fires to spread quickly. He said he believed sheep grazing had helped protect his farm, although nearby plots had been reduced to ash. He argued that more goats and sheep in mountain areas would help control wildfire risk.