MADRID : The emergency measure, announced by the Interior Ministry, allows authorities to accelerate the deployment of personnel and equipment while placing the national response under central coordination. Spain’s Military Emergency Unit has also been mobilised to support firefighters battling the flames.
Authorities on Thursday ordered around 3,500 residents of Aldea del Fresno, located about 60 kilometres west of Madrid, to leave their homes as fires advanced across the region.
In Ávila, a wildfire that broke out on Thursday was reported to be spreading rapidly. Residents of Burgohondo, El Tiemblo and Navaluenga were instructed to remain indoors because of the danger posed by the flames and heavy smoke.
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Around 1,500 people were also evacuated from a rural tourism complex and a nearby residential development in the El Tiemblo area as the fire moved closer.
The largest blaze is burning in Guadalajara province, around 100 kilometres north of Madrid. The fire has scorched more than 32,000 hectares, making it one of Spain’s largest wildfires in recent memory.
Hundreds of emergency personnel, ground units and military teams have been deployed as authorities race to contain the fires amid extreme heat, strong winds and dangerously dry vegetation.
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