The interior ministry says a wildfire has forced the evacuation of 150 people from an upscale suburb northeast of Madrid and the closure of two commuter railway lines.

Fire broke out at 11:57 a.m. (0957 GMT) in the leafy neigh-bourhood of Torrelodones and forced the closure of lines linking the stations of Torrelodones and Las Matas.

A regional ministry office said in a statement Monday that the fire was under control by 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) when police allowed residents to return home.

Ministry officials calculate that around 24,000 hectares (59,300 acres) have been charred by fires that have killed six people in just over a week.