‘Monster’ wildfires rip through Spain including ‘biggest EVER blaze’ – as 116k evacuated ahead of Brits’ holidays

WILDFIRES ripping through Spain have forced more than 116,000 people to flee their homes. Temperatures are tipped to soar to 40C in Madrid this week in a grim reading for browbeaten fire crews and Brits looking forward to their holiday getaways. Raging infernos have engulfed vast parts of Spain forcing 160,000 from their homes Credit: REUTERS Firefighters have been battling the biggest blaze in the country’s history outside Madrid Credit: Reuters Arid, tinder-box conditions have made it incredibly difficult to contain the fires Credit: AFP Around 360,000 people have been evacuated in France and Spain in recent weeks Credit: REUTERS Spain has been plagued with wildfires after a succession of heatwaves left vegetation tinder-box dry. The government declared a state of emergency after several wildfires approaching the capital threatened to merge and kept forcing people from their homes. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Blazes have forced firefighters to close roads leading to the home of Olga Congacha, 50, in Robledo de Chavela – a commune 42 miles to Madrid’s west. She said: “Everyone had to get out of the village quickly — it was a critical situation and people were scared.” Read more about wildfires Firefighters fighting a wildfire in La Mierla area, near Guadalajara, about 60 miles north of Madrid Credit: AFP “My husband and I left with all that we could grab — our important documents and some clothes.” Spain‘s civil protection chief Virginia Barcones said the country was battling a “monster” in the fire around Avila, a major town 55 miles northwest of the capital. She told state broadcaster TVE: “We are dealing with a perimeter of 280 kilometres (173 miles) encompassing 77,000 hectares (190,000 acres).” The blaze outside the capital is roughly equivalent in size to New York City or Singapore. Most read in The Sun Spanish locals have joined in the efforts to stop the spread of the blazes Credit: Getty Images Local official Carlos Novillo warned a fire raging near Madrid was ‘at its peak’ this weekend Credit: AFP Another aggressive fire has engulfed La Vall d’Uixo, north of Valencia, leading to the death of a 70-year-old man who was found in his car by firefighters. The vicious blaze has been described as “out of control” by local fire crews. Around 45,000 hectares have been scorched in central provinces around Madrid. The raging inferno was described as being “at its peak” over the weekend and “beyond the capacity” of firefighters to control. The city’s emergency management chief Carlos Novillo told the BBC: “It is not possible to attack the fire in that area, so defensive measures are being taken.” Madrid president Isabel Díaz Ayusohas said the inferno was “the worst fire in the history of the region”. Díaz Ayuso has called the situation “catastrophic”, as residents in the capital were warned to stay inside their home and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary. Dramatic footage showed police kicking down doors to rescue residents before the blaze consumed their homes. Holidaymakers have been forced to stay indoors as fires ravage the region. Chicago lawyer Thomas Fawkes, 49, jetted to Madrid with his wife and son and has not been able to take full advantage of what the city has to offer. He said: “We arrived in Madrid three days ago. We took the train in from Barcelona and we actually got stopped for about an hour and a half due to the wildfires — you could really tell when you were outside that the wildfires were nearby.” Retired New Zealand-based couple Pilar and Douglas said: “We come to Europe every year, we’ve noticed it getting warmer and warmer and so the fires are a product of that.” Pilar added: “We could see the fire very close to the airport. Very black smoke and we’re just hoping that this doesn’t continue because it’s really close to Madrid now.” “I could smell it inside the hotel.” It comes as France is also embroiled in a wildfire crisis, with tourists warned to stay away as the flames close in on Bordeaux. The rampant fires are now less than seven miles away from the highly populated city with the blazes so powerful they have created a terrifying giant fire cloud. The unprecedented “pyrocumulonimbus” is a dangerous weather system that whips flames around its own winds. The weather phenomenon can even create its own lightning – which can strike and ignite even more fires. More than 360,000 people in France and Spainhave been forced to flee their homes as fires stoked by arid, tinderbox conditions and strong winds continue to rage. Comment now