Spain battles largest recorded wildfire as nearly 100,000 affected

MADRID -- Wildfires continued to rage across central Spain on Sunday, with the blaze in Avila province becoming the largest on record in the country's history after burning around 50,000 hectares, according to authorities.

Spain's Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Ecological Transition Sara Aagesen said wildfires affecting the Madrid region and the provinces of Avila and Toledo had burned more than 77,000 hectares in total.

The Madrid region, Avila and Toledo have been the hardest-hit areas, with nearly 100,000 people evacuated or ordered to remain indoors across 46 municipalities. Another wildfire that broke out over the weekend in the eastern province of Castellon has affected more than 16,000 people in 18 municipalities.

Thousands of firefighters, supported by Spain's Military Emergency Unit (UME), firefighting aircraft and helicopters, continued battling the blazes on Sunday.

Lieutenant General Francisco Javier Marcos Izquierdo, the UME commander, said the fires in Avila and Madrid remained separate as they had only connected along a "very small, discontinuous front" near San Martin de Valdeiglesias. Firefighters believed they had halted the spread of the flames between the two fire zones, although the fire perimeter had yet to be fully secured, he said.

Speaking from the advanced command center in Navalcarnero, west of Madrid, Aagesen described the wildfire situation as "complex," saying emergency crews were operating on multiple fronts. She warned that further evacuations could be ordered if necessary and said evacuated residents would only be allowed to return home once conditions were considered safe.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the affected areas on Sunday and said that, despite the "extremely complex" challenges facing firefighters, the overall situation was evolving in a positive direction, with parts of the fires already under control.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia also visited the disaster zone to receive briefings on the emergency response and express support for affected residents and frontline personnel.

According to Spain's Ministry for the Ecological Transition, wildfires had burned a total of 172,453 hectares nationwide as of July 24.