Wildfire forces evacuations near Spain’s capital
Wildfire forces evacuations near Spain’s capital
27 July 2009
published by www.msnbc.msn.com
Spain — The Interior Ministry says a wildfire has forced the evacuation of 150 people from an upscale suburb northeast of Madrid and the closure of two commuter railway lines.
Fire broke out at 11:57 a.m. (0557 EST) in the leafy neighborhood of Torrelodones and forced the closure of lines linking the stations of Torrelodones and Las Matas.
A regional ministry office said in a statement Monday that the fire was under control by 2 p.m. (0800 EST) when police allowed residents to return home.
Ministry officials calculate that around 59,300 acres have been charred by fires that have killed six people in just over a week.