DistantNews
Support us
Uncontrollable wildfires near Madrid force thousands to evacuate
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น Lithuania /Disasters & Emergencies

Uncontrollable wildfires near Madrid force thousands to evacuate

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Over 65,000 people have been evacuated in Spain and France due to raging wildfires exacerbated by heatwaves.
  • In Spain, two major wildfires near Madrid merged, threatening further spread, with thousands evacuated from several towns.
  • France has evacuated over 44,000 people from the Gironde region, where fires have been burning for days, destroying thousands of hectares.

Wildfires continue to rage across parts of Europe, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate as successive heatwaves intensify the blazes. In Spain, the situation near the capital Madrid has become critical, with officials declaring two major wildfires uncontrollable. These fires have merged, threatening to engulf even larger areas and prompting the evacuation of several towns.

Spanish authorities ordered the evacuation of residents from Fresnedillas de la Oliva and Robledo de Chavela, towns located west of Madrid. Carlos Novillo, head of emergency management for the Madrid regional government, stated that firefighting in the affected areas is impossible, forcing a shift to defensive measures. Approximately 25,000 people have been evacuated from the Madrid region, with another 20,000 instructed to remain in their homes.

Meanwhile, in southwestern France, the Gironde region is battling fires that erupted earlier in the week. Over the past two days, more than 44,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. The fires have already devastated an estimated 12,500 hectares of land.

Italy is also struggling with wildfires, where thousands of rescuers are engaged in efforts to contain the blazes. The nation recently mourned the loss of a firefighter who died while battling a fire in Sicily. Combined, the evacuations in Spain and France have displaced over 65,000 people amid the ongoing environmental crisis.

It is impossible to fight the fire in this territory, so we are taking defensive measures.

โ€” Carlos NovilloHead of emergency management for the Madrid regional government, describing the critical state of wildfires near the Spanish capital.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.