MADRID: Spain late Thursday declared a national emergency in the Madrid region and in the province of Avila, near the capital, in the wake of several wildfires burning out of control.
The measure, announced by the interior ministry, aims to speed up the deployment of resources to fight the fires, which in the Madrid region have forced the evacuation of 10,000 people, and places the response to the crisis in the hands of a military emergency unit.
In total, more than 10,000 people have been evacuated in recent days from across the Madrid region, where several forest fires are burning simultaneously.
Spanish authorities early Thursday sent evacuation messages to 3,500 people in Aldea de Fresno, about 60 kilometers (38 miles) from Madrid.
The fire that broke out Thursday in Avila is spreading out of control and residents in the municipalities of Burgohondo, El Tiemblo and Navaluenga have been ordered to stay indoors, according to Spanish media reports.
