MADRID, July 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Most residents evacuated after a major wildfire threatened communities south of Madrid have been allowed to return to their homes after firefighters made progress in tackling the blaze, Spanish emergency services said on Thursday.

The fire, which broke out on Wednesday near the city of Toledo, around 75 kilometres (45 miles) from the Spanish capital, prompted authorities to order the evacuation of several districts as flames advanced towards homes.

Emergency alerts were sent to residents' mobile phones, with three villages ordered to evacuate and people in a fourth instructed to remain indoors with doors and windows closed.

Emergency services said on Thursday that all evacuated residents had now been allowed to return home except those living in the El Encinar del Alberche residential area in the municipality of Villa del Prado.

Firefighters described overnight efforts as "very positive", although the blaze had not yet been stabilised and several roads in the area remained closed.

The latest blaze comes as hundreds of firefighters continue to battle a much larger wildfire in Guadalajara province, around 100 kilometres north of Madrid, which has burned about 32,000 hectares since it started last Thursday.

In 2025, more than 393,000 hectares were destroyed by fire, according to the European Forest Fire Information System -- the most in Spain's recent history.

Nearly 125,000 hectares have burned in Spain since the start of the year.