Europe wildfires: more than 300,000 flee homes and holiday accommodation in France and Spain as fires rage

Fires displace people on massive scale and trigger one of the largest peacetime civilian evacuation operations ever carried out in France

More than 250,000 people flee wildfires in France and Spain

In Spain, wildfires are continuing to burn throughout the Madrid area and the province of Ávila, near the capital, according to authorities.

The wildfires have burnt through about 24,000 hectares in the Madrid region and 21,000 hectares in Ávila, according to El Mundo, sparking mass evacuations.