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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Jabed Ahmed

Giant cloud of smoke seen over Madrid as wildfires rage in central Spain

An uncontrolled wildfire has burned outside Madrid, sending a giant cloud of smoke over the Spanish capital.

The fire broke out in the town of Mentrida in central Spain's Castile-La Mancha region on Thursday, around 30 miles southwest of the capital.

Local authorities urged residents to stay home and close their windows.

Local authorities urged residents to stay home and close their windows (AP)

Spanish authorities said the blaze had burned around 3,000 hectares (11.6 square miles) by the late evening.

Firefighters deployed on the ground and in the air were working to extinguish the fire that began around 3pm.

More than 95 firefighters had been deployed to deal with the blaze, local officials said.

More than 95 firefighters had been deployed to deal with the blaze, local officials said (AP)

Dozens of people were forced to evacuate their homes as the Spanish Civil Guard was deployed to protect residents from the fire.

In an update on Friday morning, Forest Fire Prevention and Extinction Service said 95 per cent of the fire had been contained. Authorities opened up roads again as visibility improved.

Wind blew the smoke over Madrid, where in the afternoon skies turned orange and thick with smoke.

Local media reported that residents in Madrid could smell the burning from their homes, causing alarm.

Dozens of people were forced to evacuate their homes as the Spanish Civil Guard was deployed to protect residents from the fire (AFP via Getty Images)

Large parts of Spain are under heat and fire warnings, with temperatures on Thursday reaching 37C in Madrid.

Last week, Spanish authorities ordered more than 18,000 residents in the northeastern Tarragona province to remain indoors, with several dozen evacuated, as a raging wildfire consumed nearly 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of vegetation.

Two people died in a separate wildfire on 1 July in the Catalonia region, where Tarragona is located.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, which makes places more vulnerable to wildfires.

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