Spain’s government declared a national emergency on Friday after wildfires forced the evacuation of some 10,000 people in the central region of Madrid, while in southern France around 40,000 people also had to flee.
Fire there has ravaged over 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres), French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said, saying the blaze was “the largest of the season”.
“As I speak, gradually, 40,000 people have either been evacuated or are currently being evacuated,” he added, saying there had been no reported casualties.
“A total of 80 homes have burnt, around 50 of which have been completely destroyed.”
The national emergency in Spain means that the nation’s interior ministry, which controls police and security forces, has taken charge of overseeing the firefighting efforts by Spain’s regions as they struggle to battle multiple blazes that are being fanned by a heatwave.
