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A resident looks as flames advance during a wildfire in Pumarejo de Tera in north western Spain

Video. Red sun, orange sky as Madrid battles worst wildfire in its history

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Wildfires near Madrid and Ávila forced tens of thousands to evacuate, turning the sky orange and the sun blood-red over affected towns.

Wildfires raging near Madrid turned the sky orange and the sun blood-red over the village of Zarzalejo, as authorities battled what regional leader Isabel Díaz-Ayuso called the worst fire in the capital's history.

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Two major blazes merged into one, burning 30 square kilometers by Friday and forcing evacuations or home confinement for some 60,000 people.

A separate fire in nearby Ávila consumed 90 square kilometers. Spain's Civil Guard arrested one man over the alleged use of heavy machinery in a high fire-risk zone.

PM Pedro Sánchez is set to visit the region on Saturday as temperatures top 39°C amid an ongoing heatwave.

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