A local official says containing wildfires near Madrid is “beyond the capacity” of firefighters.
Carlos Novillo warns fires are moving towards the municipalities of Robledo de Chavela and Fresnedillas de la Oliva – a few dozen kilometres from the Spanish capital’s western outskirts
It comes as more than 130,000 people are evacuated across Spain and France, according to each country’s latest figures
The Spanish government has declared a national emergency, with Madrid’s regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso saying this is “the worst fire in the history of the region”
Meanwhile in France, thousands of people escaped the Cap Ferret peninsula – a popular tourist spot – by boat as firefighters battled what was described as an “XXL fire” in the Gironde region
Three back to back heatwaves in Europe – the world’s fastest warming continent – have exacerbated fire danger in recent weeks, writes BBC Weather’s Sarah Keith-Lucas
