Madrid  - Fires at an electricity substation and a transformer Thursday left 40,000 people without power in Madrid, officials said.

The fires in the central Retiro neighbourhood prompted the evacuation of dozens of people, but caused no injuries.

The fire at the transformer, which was sparked by explosions inside, was extinguished. Firefighters continued battling flames at the substation, where underground cables were on fire.

Power was largely re-established with the help of emergency generators. The power company Iberdrola said it was investigating the causes of the fires and whether they were connected. (dpa)