Two major wildfires merged west of Madrid on Friday, where some residents could smell smoke drifting in from blazes burning out of control near the Spanish capital.

Officials say the blaze, which has forced about 1,200 people to evacuate and has burned at least 30,000 hectares of land, is one of the most complex to affect the country in years.

You can smell the fire dozens of kilometres away, and its smoke has partly blocked out the sun: the huge wildfire north of Madrid has unnerved officials and evacuees alike.