CBS News (@CBSNews) “Thick black ash coated roof terraces in the north of Madrid's center, the Spanis” — TopicDigg

Thick black ash coated roof terraces in the north of Madrid's center, the Spanish capital, where 70,000 people were evacuated as residents were forced to keep their windows closed by the smell of throat-irritating smoke. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the fire zone near Madrid and said the priority was to "save lives" while warning that a "complex" fight lay ahead. His government declared a national emergency. Fires have burned more than 320,000 acres of forest already this year in Spain, up from an annual average of more than 240,000 acres over the past decade, Sanchez said. He said more favorable weather on Saturday offered "a window of opportunity" for fire crews to bring the blazes under control.