New wildfire erupts west of Madrid amid heatwave, forcing evacuations

Firefighters are confronting a new wildfire west of Madrid, a region still recovering from devastating fires in July that were the worst in its history. The current blaze, located near Aldea del Fresno, approximately 50 kilometers west of the capital, ignited under scorching temperatures and strong winds.

Authorities ordered the roughly 3,500 residents of Aldea del Fresno to remain confined to their homes and evacuated several houses on the town's outskirts. The fire broke out as temperatures reached 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit), with strong winds fanning the flames.

In July, wildfires in western Madrid and the neighboring province of Avila forced nearly 60,000 people to flee their homes, including residents of Aldea del Fresno. Those earlier fires consumed approximately 27,000 hectares across 17 municipalities in the Madrid region alone. Like its European neighbors, Spain has endured multiple heatwaves that have fueled widespread forest fires.