Spanish authorities ordered the evacuation Sunday of around 40 people and closed four roads as a raging wildfire advanced in the centre of the country amid scorching temperatures. Police ordered residents to flee their homes outside the town of Villa del Prado some 65 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of Madrid as a precaution because of the approach of the flames, emergency services said. The locals were put up in a sports centre.
Officials evacuated residents from around 40 homes in the nearby town of Cadalso de los Vidrios at dawn but they were allowed to return home in the afternoon. Local officials on Saturday evacuated some 200 people from a campsite in the town. About 500 firefighters and soldiers backed by 14 water-dropping aircraft were battling the wildfire that started Friday evening in the central town of Almorox.