Spanish town told to evacuate over out-of-control forest fire

Spanish authorities on Thursday ordered 3,500 people in a town west of Madrid to leave their homes because of a forest fire burning out of control.

The emergency services said on X said evacuation messages had been sent to people in Aldea de Fresno, about 60 kilometres (38 miles) from Madrid.

The order came a day after authorities ordered thousands of people in localities southwest of Madrid to evacuate because of another fire as the country struggles through high temperatures and a drought.

The forest fires have been spreading quickly, especially in arid areas.

"The government has deployed every available resource to stop the terrible fires currently affecting numerous areas: Avila, Leon, Toledo, Madrid and other parts of Spain," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X, urging the public to exercise "great caution" and heed instructions from authorities.

The largest fire is on the other side of Madrid, in the province of Guadalajara, about 100 kilometres north of the capital, and has devastated 32,000 hectares (80,000 acres) since last Thursday.

Almost 125,000 hectares have already burnt in Spain this year compared with 393,000 for the whole of last year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).