At least 267,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes as devastating wildfires continue to ravage parts of southwestern France and central Spain, overwhelming firefighters and prompting military intervention.
In France, about 197,000 people have been evacuated from areas around Bordeaux, including popular holiday destinations, in what the country’s Interior Minister described as potentially the largest peacetime evacuation in the nation’s history.
The French government has deployed military personnel and equipment to support exhausted firefighters battling the blazes, which have continued to spread despite round-the-clock efforts to contain them.
In Spain, about 70,000 people have fled villages west of Madrid as several wildfires swept through the region. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who visited the affected area, said protecting lives remained the government’s top priority.
Smoke and ash have blanketed parts of Madrid, forcing residents to keep their windows shut as thick smoke filled the air. Evacuees have been accommodated in temporary shelters, including a gymnasium that has been converted to house those displaced by the fires.
Although authorities in both countries said the intensity of some fires had eased, firefighters remained stretched by the scale and unpredictability of the infernos.
The fires have been fuelled by extreme heat, dry conditions and strong winds, making firefighting operations increasingly difficult.
In France, two firefighters were killed earlier in the week near Bordeaux, while no civilian deaths had been reported as of Saturday.
The crisis comes as southern Europe continues to experience severe summer heat, with authorities warning of the growing threat posed by extreme weather conditions and wildfires across the region.
