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- Wildfires threaten Madrid as blazes rage across Spain</p>
<p>Kieran KellyAugust 12, 2025 at 2:24 AM</p>
<p>Credit: Reuters</p>
<p>A wildfire has broken out in a town near Madrid as Europe continues to grapple with extreme heat.</p>
<p>Emergency crews battled the blaze in Tres Cantos overnight, which is located some 23km north of the Spanish capital.</p>
<p>Extreme temperatures in southern Europe, including Spain and Portugal, are expected to last until at least Wednesday, with forecasts reaching up to 44C.</p>
<p>Firefighters were also tackling "fire whirls" in the north of Spain, which burned several houses and forced hundreds of residents from their homes.</p>
<p>About 800 people were told to abandon their homes in half a dozen villages in the Castile and Leon region, where several wildfires were raging.</p>
<p>High temperatures on Sunday had already caused a separate wildfire near Las Medulas park, forcing firemen to retreat.</p>
<p>A wildfire lights up the sky in Puercas, Spain - REUTERS</p>
<p>"This occurs when temperatures reach around 40C in a very confined valley and then suddenly (the fire) enters a more open and oxygenated area. This produces a fireball, a fire whirl," said Juan Carlos Suarez-Quinones, the chief of environment for the regional government.</p>
<p>Scientists say the Mediterranean's hotter, drier summers put it at high risk of wildfires. Once fires start, dry vegetation and strong winds can cause them to spread rapidly and burn out of control, sometimes provoking fire whirls.</p>
<p>A prolonged heatwave in Spain continued on Monday with temperatures set to reach 42C in some regions on Tuesday.</p>
<p>In the northern part of neighbouring Portugal, nearly 700 firefighters were battling a blaze that started on Saturday in Trancoso, some 350km (200 miles) north-east of Lisbon.</p>
<p>A wildfire started in Trancoso on Saturday, north-east of Lisbon - REUTERS</p>
<p>Meanwhile, temperatures are expected to reach 40C in Italy this week, where a four-year-old boy died from heatstroke. Red alert warnings have been issued for seven major cities, including Bologna and Florence.</p>
<p>In France, nearly half the country was placed under heatwave warnings as of Monday, with 12.5 per cent of its administrative units on the highest red alert.</p>
<p>It came after firefighters brought its biggest fire since 1949 under control on Sunday, which killed at least one person and injured 20 firefighters and five civilians.</p>
<p>Wildfires in Croatia, Serbia, Albania and Montenegro have also forced people to flee their homes, according to local media reports.</p>
<p>People drive their vehicles past a wildfire raging near Canakkale, north-west Turkey - Berkman Ulutin/Dia Photo</p>
<p>The UK has been spared from extreme heat this summer, though the country's hottest ever temperature of 40.3C was recorded just a few years ago at Coningsby, Lincolnshire on July 19, 2022.</p>
<p>Temperatures in the UK are also hotter than average, with amber alerts issued as temperatures may hit 34C during what will be the fourth heatwave of the summer.</p>
<p>However, while the UK is experiencing a hotter-than-average summer, its cooler, wetter Atlantic-influenced climate and the positioning of pressure systems prevent it from reaching the extreme temperatures experienced in southern Europe.</p>
<p>Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.</p>
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