Firefighters battle a wildfire in Zarzalejo area, near El Escorial, 60 kms northwest of Madrid in the morning of July 25, 2026. Spanish firefighters hoped to get control of wildfires raging near Madrid on Saturday but an official warned that erratic winds threatened to fan the blazes further. (Photo by Oscar DEL POZO / AFP)
Madrid: Wildfires raging west of Madrid have burned up to 25,000 hectares, the Spanish interior ministry said Saturday.
Flames have ravaged nearly 10,000 hectares in the Madrid region and "between 13,000 and 15,000" in the neighbouring province of Avila, the ministry said in a message sent to journalists.
The total is more than twice the surface area of the city of Paris.
