Confinement orders lifted after wildfire west of Madrid stabilised

Authorities lifted confinement orders on a town west of Madrid after firefighters on Wednesday stabilised a nearby wildfire, just weeks after huge blazes forced tens of thousands of people from their homes in the area.

The fire broke out shortly after noon near Aldea del Fresno, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Madrid, and it affected around 330 hectares before it was contained, emergency services said on X.

Authorities had ordered the roughly 3,500 residents of Aldea del Fresno to remain indoors and evacuated several homes and residential areas on the outskirts of the town because of the proximity of the flames.

"All confinement orders have been lifted, and evacuated residents are permitted to return home," emergency services said, adding that "extinguishing work will continue overnight".

Nine water-dropping aircraft were involved in fighting the blaze, which came as local temperatures reached 36C, with strong winds fanning the flames.

Last month, wildfires that swept through western Madrid and neighbouring Avila province forced nearly 60,000 people to evacuate at their peak, including residents of Aldea del Fresno.

The blazes burned around 27,000 hectares of land across 17 municipalities in the Madrid region alone.

Like its European neighbours, Spain has suffered several spells of extreme summer heat this year, contributing to ideal conditions for a string of wildfires.

Scientists say climate change, driven by humanity's burning of fossil fuels, is increasing the length, frequency and intensity of such extreme weather.