Spanish firefighters on Friday were bringing under control a forest fire near Madrid that had cloaked the capital in a huge cloud of acrid smoke.The blaze that broke out on Thursday around 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the city had burned 3,

The fire broke out in the town of Mentrida in central Spain's Castile-La Mancha region about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the capital. Local authorities urged residents to stay home and close their windows.

A forest fire that broke out in Méntrida, Toledo province, on Thursday, July 17, has burned approximately 3,200 hectares, forcing evacuations and prompting a Level 2 alert for Castilla-La Mancha and the Community of Madrid.