Wildfires in France and Spain force 200,000 to flee as crews continue to battle untamed blazes

July 25, 2026 / 8:31 AM EDT

/ CBS/AFP

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More than 200,000 people have been forced to flee parts of Western Europe on Saturday as out-of-control wildfires continued to rage in Spain and France.Thick black ash coated roof terraces in the north of Madrid's center, the Spanish capital, with residents forced to keep their windows closed by the smell of throat-irritating smoke.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, visiting the fire zone near Madrid, said the priority was to "save lives" while warning that a "complex" fight lay ahead. His government declared a national emergency.Fires have burned 130,000 hectares of forest already this year in Spain, up from an annual average of 100,000 hectares over the past decade, Sanchez said. He said more favorable weather on Saturday offered "a window of opportunity" for fire crews to bring the blazes under control.

A picture taken on July 25, 2026, in El Tiemblo, west of Madrid, shows a wildfire restarting in a forest next to the La Atalaya residential area, amid wildfires that have burned up to 25,000 hectares.