Some 77,000 hectares have been affected by the fires in Spain, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, said on Sunday.

He added that the forest fire that is ravaging the Ávila region is the largest in the country’s recent history.

Among the residents who evacuated surrounding areas was Olga Congacha, 50, who had to hastily flee her village of Robledo de Chavela, west of Madrid.

He said he felt “panic” when he was told to leave his home.

“I didn’t know whether to cry or what. It was a moment when you feel terrible,” he added.

Returning briefly home on Sunday to get medicine, he said the streets were deserted and his house was covered in ash.

Authorities say winds were pushing wildfires near Madrid south and away from the capital, but have forced the evacuation of more towns in their wake.

More than 90,000 people have been evacuated from the regions near Madrid and Ávila.