Around 77,000 hectares have been affected by the fires in Spain, minister for ecological transition, Sara Aagesen, said on Sunday.

She added that the wildfire burning in the Ávila region is the largest in the country’s recent history.

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

She said she felt “panicked” when she was told to leave her home.

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

Returning to her home briefly on Sunday to get medicine, she said the streets were deserted and her house had been covered in ash.

Authorities say winds were pushing the wildfires near Madrid to the south and away from the capital, but have forced the evacuation of more villages in its path.

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