Evacuations near Madrid as wildfires advance with thousands already fleeing French tourist spot - BBC

What the report says

BBC News reported that Spain has declared a national emergency as major wildfires burn in several areas, including close to Madrid, while France is also battling severe blazes in its south-west. According to the BBC’s live coverage, three fires have joined near the Spanish capital, where the interior ministry said nearly 60,000 people had been evacuated and a further 28,000 were instructed to remain indoors.

In Spain, local firefighters said one person died after a separate forest fire near Manises, north-west of Valencia. Officials reported that several people were treated for smoke inhalation and burns, and that aerial resources were sent before the blaze was stabilised on Saturday afternoon local time. Footage and images cited by the BBC showed flames reaching evacuated areas outside Madrid and smoke hanging over the capital’s skyline.

France has also ordered large-scale evacuations, with the BBC reporting about 60,000 people moved from Bordeaux suburbs and the Cap Ferret peninsula cleared earlier in the week. Nearly 200,000 people have been displaced in total in France as fires burn in the Landes and Gironde regions. French authorities mobilised 1,500 military personnel, while specialist equipment from Germany, Croatia and Slovakia was also involved. An Airbus A400M military aircraft made an experimental firefighting drop in south-west France.

BBC Weather said the affected parts of Spain were expected to remain warm and dry, with little immediate rainfall relief around Madrid. In south-west France, showers were forecast in some areas, but the BBC said rainfall near the main fire zones was likely to be limited. The conditions matter because heat, dry vegetation and wind can quickly intensify wildfires and complicate evacuations.