Spanish authorities declared a national emergency as three blazes burning near Madrid merged into one, forcing some 60,000 people from their homes. In France, 141,000 people were evacuated from the regions of Gironde and Landes. Photo by Damien Rembert/EPA
July 24 (UPI) -- More than 200,000 people fled their homes on Friday in fear of powerful wildfires tearing through Spain and France.
Spanish authorities declared a national emergency as three blazes burning near Madrid merged into one, forcing some 60,000 people from their homes.
In France, 141,000 people were evacuated from the regions of Gironde and Landes.
"This is the worst wildfire in our region's history," Madrid's regional leader, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, told reporters.
