France and Spain have evacuated more than 220,000 people as fast-moving wildfires continue to spread across both countries, forcing authorities to deploy the military, declare a national emergency in parts of Spain and warn that the situation remains out of control in several affected areas.
French authorities have ordered the evacuation of nearly 60,000 more people near Bordeaux, pushing the total number of evacuations in France and Spain above 220,000.
Around 200,000 people have now been evacuated from south-west France, mainly in the Gironde and Landes regions, as firefighters battle large blazes fuelled by hot and dry conditions. French President Emmanuel Macron has mobilised the military to strengthen emergency operations.
In Spain, authorities declared a national emergency after a series of wildfires west of Madrid worsened. About 25,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes, while nearly 40,000 others have been told to remain indoors as smoke and flames continue to threaten communities.
Officials warned that three separate fires near Madrid have merged into a single massive blaze that is proving difficult to contain.
Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso described it as the "worst fire in the history of the region", saying the area was facing a "perfect storm" of high temperatures, relentless wind and merging fire fronts.
Emergency services said the flames were advancing towards the municipalities of Robledo de Chavela and Fresnedillas de la Olivia, about 50 kilometres from the Spanish capital.
"The wildfire is at its peak and is currently beyond the capacity of firefighters to contain," Carlos Novillo, the Madrid regional government's emergency management chief, told reporters.
"It's not possible to attack the fire in that area, so defensive measures are being taken," he added.
Spain's Military Emergency Unit (UME) has been deployed to help stop the spread of the flames, with crews concentrating efforts around the town of El Escorial.
Authorities are also watching another major wildfire in neighbouring Ávila province, where the Burgohondo fire has raised fears that it could merge with the Madrid blaze.
Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said authorities were doing "everything we can" to prevent the two merging.
Francisco Martín, the government delegate in Madrid, warned that the number of evacuations could still rise.
"Embers are flying for miles and the fire is jumping great distances," he said.
The mayor of El Tiemblo in Ávila said the flames travelled from Navaluenga to the Iruelas Valley, a distance of about 20 kilometres, in less than 30 minutes.
"It was horrific," Arturo Varas González told laSexta.
EPA
Officials said at least 6,000 hectares have been destroyed in the Madrid region, while the fire in Ávila has burned almost 9,000 hectares.
Eight municipalities have already been evacuated, including Chapinería, Navas del Rey, Colmenar del Arroyo, Fresnedillas de la Oliva, Robledo de Chavela, Aldea del Fresno, Navalagamella and Zarzalejo.
Several other towns, among them San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa and Villa del Prado, remain under lockdown.
Among those forced to flee was 86-year-old Ecologio Cabrera, who escaped his village west of Madrid as the flames closed in.
"If you don't run from it and you try to face it, it devours you," he told AFP news agency from a sports hall in the village of Vilamanta, where hundreds of evacuees have taken shelter.
His family tried to protect their home by spraying it with garden hoses until firefighters reached the area.
"They arrived and told everybody to get out... I have never experienced anything like this."
Ayuso described the unfolding disaster as "completely unusual and catastrophic," saying the priority remained protecting lives.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to visit the emergency coordination centre on Saturday after earlier saying people were "living through a dramatic situation" and urging the public to exercise extreme caution.
Meanwhile, the Civil Guard has arrested one person and is investigating another over the Burgohondo wildfire after officials said the blaze may have been caused by negligence involving heavy machinery operating during a period of fire restrictions, according to local media.