More than 10,000 people have been evacuated in Spain’s capital and the neighbouring province of Avila as firefighters struggled to contain the blazes.
Under Spain's National Civil Protection System law, the declaration places the emergency under the direct authority of the interior minister, who is responsible for coordinating the response. Authorities said it was the first such declaration linked to wildfire.
The Interior Ministry said the decision was taken because of the simultaneous outbreak of several fires, adverse weather conditions and the need to mobilize extensive resources from different public administrations, increasing the complexity of firefighting and civil protection efforts.
Spain and much of southern Europe face increasingly severe wildfire seasons that scientists have linked to climate change.
Over in France, more than 10,000 people were evacuated as a rapidly spreading wildfire ripped through at least 2,400 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux in the nation's southwest, officials said.
The prefecture said 500 firefighters were battling to control the blaze, adding that no one had been injured so far.
The wildfire is located near the Arcachon Bay area, a tourist hotspot, and many of those evacuated are visitors staying in camping sites. "Overnight, the fire spread more quickly than we had imagined," said Philippe de Gonneville, the mayor of Lège-Cap Ferret.
Experts say abundant vegetation growth following unusually heavy spring rainfall has dried out in extreme summer heat, creating fuel for rapidly spreading fires.
-Reuters
Under Spain's National Civil Protection System law, the declaration places the emergency under the direct authority of the interior minister, who is responsible for coordinating the response. Authorities said it was the first such declaration linked to wildfire.
The Interior Ministry said the decision was taken because of the simultaneous outbreak of several fires, adverse weather conditions and the need to mobilize extensive resources from different public administrations, increasing the complexity of firefighting and civil protection efforts.
Spain and much of southern Europe face increasingly severe wildfire seasons that scientists have linked to climate change.
Over in France, more than 10,000 people were evacuated as a rapidly spreading wildfire ripped through at least 2,400 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux in the nation's southwest, officials said.
The prefecture said 500 firefighters were battling to control the blaze, adding that no one had been injured so far.
The wildfire is located near the Arcachon Bay area, a tourist hotspot, and many of those evacuated are visitors staying in camping sites. "Overnight, the fire spread more quickly than we had imagined," said Philippe de Gonneville, the mayor of Lège-Cap Ferret.
Experts say abundant vegetation growth following unusually heavy spring rainfall has dried out in extreme summer heat, creating fuel for rapidly spreading fires.
-Reuters
