In Spain, the government has declared a national emergency for wildfires for the first time, with Regional President Isabel Díaz-Ayuso calling the wildfire near Madrid the worst in the capital’s history.
The blazes in Madrid and the nearby province of Ávila have prompted the evacuation of some 60,000 people from towns west of the capital.
Two major fires near Madrid merged into one single blaze that had quickly charred 11.5 square miles by Friday afternoon.
Francisco Martín, the central government representative for the region of Madrid, said another 20,000 people have been ordered to shelter at home in towns west of the capital.
Martín said more evacuations may come and that the priority now is to protect the town of San Lorenzo, the home of the Escorial, Philip II’s 16th-century royal palace and monastery.
