A fire at a major tire dump spread a massive cloud of thick black smoke across an area south of Madrid early on May 13, 2016. The fire appeared to have been started intentionally on Friday, according to the town mayor. Authorities ordered residents to stay indoors and shut windows in parts of the central Spanish town of Sesena.
Spanish officials have ordered the evacuation of 9,000 people living in a sprawling apartment complex close to a raging tire dump fire in a town near Madrid.
The Castilla-La Mancha regional government tweeted Friday night that about 8,000 apartment residents in the town of Sesena had already left their homes as thick black smoke poured out from the fire, which started before dawn.
The government said ambulances were being sent to the complex to evacuate residents with health problems who could not leave on their own.
No one has been injured in the fire, which authorities believe was intentionally set. Its billowing black smoke was visible from Madrid, more than 30 kilometers (20 miles) away.
