A wildfire near the Tres Cantos area of Madrid has forced the evacuation of residents as emergency crews battle the spreading flames. The blaze broke out on Monday (11 August), Madrid officials said, as part of a series of fires across southern Europe. Officials said 180 people were evacuated from the Soto de Viñuelas, Fuente El Fresno, and Ciudad del Campo residential areas. Firefighters from the Comunidad de Madrid and the Civil Guard attended the scene, working to contain the fire which threatened homes. Scientists are calling the Mediterranean countries “a wildfire hotspot”, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. Climate change is making heatwaves and droughts more frequent and intense.

In and around Carucedo, roughly 400 residents were relocated, while another 700 were evacuated from towns close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Las Medulas.

Fires threaten a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Spain as temperatures hit new records.