Spain invokes first wildfire emergency as fires rage across Europe; over 10,000 evacuated

Spain declared its first national emergency over wildfires, activating the highest emergency level for a wildfire.

Over 10,000 residents were evacuated from towns in the mountains west of Madrid due to multiple uncontrolled fires.

France requested European Union assistance for a major blaze near Bordeaux, leading to the full evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula with around 40,000 people evacuated.

Spain's interior ministry will coordinate firefighting operations nationwide under the emergency measure.

More than 350 fires have burned in Spain this year, destroying about 1,300 square kilometres, over four times the area burned in the same period last year.