Firefighters struggle to contain Madrid wildfires, as more than 140,000 evacuated in France and Spain

A wildfire near Madrid is "beyond the capacity" of firefighters to contain, Spanish officials have warned, after three fires west of the capital merged into a single blaze.

Spain's government has declared a national emergency after blazes spun out of control in several areas close to Madrid, prompting the evacuation of at least 30,000 people.

Madrid's regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso described it as the "worst fire in the history of the region", with the area facing a "perfect storm" of high temperatures, relentless wind and merging fire fronts.

Meanwhile, more than 110,000 people have been evacuated in south-west France after wildfires tore through the Gironde and Landes regions.

The fire changed direction later on Friday and was heading towards Bordeaux, with further evacuations expected. French President Emmanuel Macron has mobilised the military to assist the response.

In Spain, local emergency services said wildfires were moving towards the municipalities of Robledo de Chavela and Fresnedillas de la Olivia, around 50km (31 miles) from the 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.

A woman flees as a wildfire tears through Avila province in Spain

The Military Emergency Unit (UME) has been deployed to try to halt the advance of the flames, with its main focus protecting areas near the town of El Escorial.

Authorities are also monitoring a separate wildfire in nearby Ávila province, where officials fear the huge Burgohondo blaze could merge with the Madrid fire.

Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said authorities were doing "everything we can" to prevent the two merging.

More than 60,000 people have been affected in the Madrid region, with 30,000 forced to evacuate and 20,000 placed under lockdown, authorities said.

Francisco Martín, the government delegate in Madrid, warned those numbers could rise as "embers are flying for miles and the fire is jumping great distances".

The mayor of El Tiemblo, one of the affected areas in Ávila, said flames spread from Navaluenga to the Iruelas Valley - a distance of about 20km (12 miles) - in less than half an hour. "It was horrific," Arturo Varas González told laSexta.

At least 6,000 hectares of land have burned in the Madrid region, while the Ávila blaze has consumed almost 9,000 hectares, according to officials.

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