Spain declares an emergency after wildfires force evacuations of 10,000 people

CHAPINERIA, Spain -- Spain’s government declared a national emergency Friday after wildfires forced the evacuation of some 20,000 people from villages near Madrid, while in southern France more than 60,000 residents fled their homes, including by boat, to escape two major blazes.“We are experiencing a dramatic situation, not just in several Spanish regions but also in neighboring countries,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X.“My solidarity with all the people who have been affected and been forced to leave their homes.”Authorities in southwestern France ordered more mass evacuations along the Atlantic coast because of the large wildfires. France’s Interior minister Laurent Nunez said 40,000 people have been evacuated in the Gironde department, and 23,000 in the Landes.Spain and France both asked fellow European Union members for help.“We will soon be able to rely on reinforcements including two Croatian Canadair firefighting aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, and two heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that Italy and Greece are...