Thousands of Spaniards evacuated during massive wildfires started to return home on Wednesday as the government said it was working to contain some of the worst forest fires in the country's modern history.
Late on Tuesday, the government lifted evacuation orders on more than a dozen municipalities in the Madrid and Avila areas, the centre of wildfires that displaced tens of thousands of people.
"24,000 evacuated individuals have been able to return to their homes, and another 20,000 have been released from confinement in the Community of Madrid," central government delegate to the region Francisco Martín Aguirre said on X late on Tuesday.
"Work continues to consolidate the progress made throughout the day in tackling the fire. The return of evacuees is proceeding without incident."
On Wednesday morning, the area around the village of Aldea del Fresno, where residents were able to return after the evacuation order ended, was still shrouded in smoke and a strong smell of burning hung in the air, an AFP correspondent reported.
