Sawt Falasteen - Firefighters race to stop wildfires merging near Madrid

Strong winds were expected to hamper efforts to contain the blazes, which authorities said were the worst in the region's history and had forced the evacuation and confinement of 19,000 people so far.

In Navas del Rey, a town about 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Madrid, smoke blanketed the sky and ash covered the landscape, an AFP journalist at the scene reported.

"The smoke was incredibly thick. You couldn't breathe," Jose Cobos, who fled his home with his wife and three dogs, told private broadcaster Antena 3.

Only emergency vehicles were allowed on roads near the blaze, while police set up checkpoints to prevent unauthorised access.

The main priority for firefighters is to prevent the "convergence" of the blazes, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters Friday during a visit to a command centre in Cenicientos village.

Authorities were facing an "unfavourable situation" due to strong winds, low humidity, and high temperatures, he added.

Two of three wildfires burning west of Madrid are "on the verge of merging" into a single blaze, the regional government's representative in Madrid, Francisco Martin, said.

- Evacuations -

Carlos Novillo, the Madrid regional government's emergency management chief, said weather conditions were "expected to improve" overnight, with cooler temperatures and higher humidity forecast for Saturday.

Spain's government declared a national emergency in the Madrid region and neighbouring Avila province late Thursday, allowing additional resources to be deployed more quickly and placing the Military Emergency Unit (UME) in charge of coordinating the response.

Around 10,000 people have been ordered to evacuate in the Madrid region, while several municipalities remained under confinement orders on Friday.

More than 430 elderly people and people with disabilities from five care homes were among the evacuated, the regional government of Madrid said in a statement.

Television images showed Guardia Civil police officers wearing face masks helping elderly residents in wheelchairs board buses as care homes were evacuated.

The largest evacuation operation took place in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, with most of the 178 residents at the private Lopez Rumayor care home evacuated to the municipal sports hall.

- 'Couldn't breathe' -

Spain has seen a series of wildfires in recent days as a heatwave and dry conditions have heightened the risk of fast-moving fires, particularly in scrubland areas where dry vegetation has fuelled the flames.

The country's largest active wildfire is burning in the province of Guadalajara, around 100 kilometres north of Madrid, where it has scorched about 32,000 hectares over the past week.

"We are living through a dramatic situation, not only in various Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighbouring countries," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X, saying the government "has deployed all available resources".

Spain recorded its worst wildfire season in recent history in 2025, when more than 393,000 hectares were destroyed by fire, according to EFFIS.

B.Mahmoud--SF-PST