Mass evacuations as wildfires rage in France and Spain
More than 80,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as wildfires continue to burn across parts of France and Spain. In France, authorities ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast, a popular summer tourism area. Some residents fled by boat as smoke and flames moved closer to homes and holiday properties.
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French officials said around 63,000 people were evacuated from the Cap Ferret area, while Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 40,000 people had been evacuated in the Gironde department and 23,000 in Landes. Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed, with additional ground and aerial reinforcements sent on Friday to help tackle the blazes. French President Emmanuel Macron said the country would receive European Union reinforcements, including two Croatian Canadair firefighting aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, and two heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The fires have also affected Spain, where more than 10,000 people were evacuated from towns in the mountains west of Madrid. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said firefighters were trying to stop three fires in the region and neighbouring Avila province from joining together. He said the densely populated area, where many residents from the capital have second homes, was one reason the government declared a national emergency to improve coordination of the response.
The scale of the evacuations underlines how severe the summer fire season has become in southern Europe. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service has said Europe is warming faster than any other continent, with temperatures rising twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s. Scientists have warned that hotter and drier conditions are increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires, making the region more vulnerable during prolonged heat and dry spells.
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Authorities believe both fires in France were accidental, but they have not yet said what caused them. The blaze further south along the coast remained uncontained, with strong winds making the work of firefighters more difficult. Residents in Arès described the evacuation as unprecedented, saying they hoped crews would bring the situation under control quickly.
What remains unclear is how long the evacuations will last and whether the fires can be contained before they spread further. The arrival of EU aircraft and helicopters is expected to strengthen the response, but officials have not given a timeline for full control. The situation is still developing across both countries, with the main focus on protecting homes, holiday areas and densely populated communities.
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