Madrid, 7 July 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Spanish firefighters were still working Sunday to extinguish a fire at a battery factory near Madrid, two days after it first broke out.

Multiple explosions caused the fire at the lithium battery recycling plant in an industrial area of Azuqueca de Henares, about 50 kilometres from Madrid on Friday.

Some 60,000 residents in five surrounding communities were told to stay at home, close windows and doors, and turn off air conditioning systems because of a toxic cloud of smoke emitted from the blaze.

These restrictions were lifted on Sunday afternoon as the smoke began to rise vertically, no longer posing a danger to the surrounding areas, a local official told CMM radio station.

Video footage posted online on Friday showed a huge dark cloud of smoke rising above the burning factory building. Two people were reportedly injured in the incident.

Lithium battery fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish as they can produce flammable gases and release oxygen compounds through chemical reactions, allowing the fire to sustain itself even without an external oxygen supply. The resulting smoke is also highly toxic.