‘Almost no flames’: Madrid blazes stop spreading, but heatwave raises fears of fresh outbreaks

MADRID, July 30 — Wildfires threatening areas near Madrid have stopped spreading and there are “almost no flames”, Spanish authorities said today.

“Night-time weather conditions have made it possible… to cool the area and reinforce the perimeter, which is clearly stabilised, with no spread for several days, few smoking spots and almost no flames left,” the prefecture of the Madrid region said.

There were no longer any “active fronts,” they said, specifying that only around a thousand people remained evacuated.

But authorities warned that the ongoing heatwave threatens a resurgence of fire in areas west of Madrid, where more than 25,000 hectares have already gone up in smoke.

“The meteorological risk of fire remains very high, even extreme in some areas, and efforts will focus on maintaining the stability of the perimeter, monitoring for new outbreaks and cooling hot spots,” the Madrid regional authority said.

The most critical area this morning was the area near the San Juan reservoir, about 60km from the centre of the capital, forcing two towns to remain evacuated. — AFP