A man has been the first victim to die from the wildfires ravaging Spain and France as more than 270,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

The man was found in a car in a ravine in the Spanish town of Manises near Valencia following a forest fire in the area, according to the local fire brigade.

Spain’s capital is being deluged in smoke and ash by huge wildfires to the west, which has led the country to declare a national emergency and the Prime Minister to warn of ‘complex hours ahead’.

Read more: First wildfire death in Spain as blazes ravage Europe – with 270,000 people forced from their homes and France sends in the military