BORDEAUX/MADRID, France/Spain- More than 160,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in France and Spain as unprecedented wildfires continue to rage across both countries, destroying homes, threatening major towns and prompting governments to seek emergency assistance from the European Union.
French authorities said at least 141,000 people had been evacuated in the country’s southwest, while another 25,000 residents were displaced in Spain’s Madrid region as firefighters battled multiple out-of-control blazes intensified by strong winds, prolonged drought and extreme temperatures.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron ordered the military to support firefighting efforts after describing the situation as the country’s worst wildfire crisis on record.
The French government also appealed for assistance from European partners as flames advanced toward Bordeaux, a major city surrounded by internationally renowned vineyards and popular tourist destinations.
Authorities ordered precautionary evacuations in communities near Bordeaux as the fires continued to spread. Around 44,000 people were evacuated from the affluent Cap Ferret peninsula, where more than 50 homes have already been destroyed.
The peninsula’s only access road was threatened by the advancing flames, forcing hundreds of residents and holidaymakers to escape by boat while others fled by road.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the country had never experienced wildfires on such a scale and pledged that authorities would do “everything” possible to protect Bordeaux and surrounding communities.
The French government has deployed 1,000 military personnel to reinforce firefighting operations after the fires scorched approximately 22,000 hectares of land.
Authorities also announced the distribution of 1.5 million FFP2 masks to emergency responders and residents exposed to hazardous smoke.
The wildfires have taken a heavy toll on emergency services, with about 40 firefighters injured while battling the Cap Ferret blaze. Three firefighters have died in separate wildfire incidents in France and Italy this week.
In neighbouring Spain, officials described the wildfire west of Madrid as the worst in the region’s history. Madrid regional emergency chief Carlos Novillo said firefighters were struggling to contain the blaze.
“The wildfire is at its peak and is currently beyond the capacity of firefighters to contain,” Novillo said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to visit the emergency coordination centre overseeing the response as authorities intensified evacuation efforts.
Two major wildfires west of Madrid merged into a larger blaze, threatening the town of Navas del Rey, about 50 kilometres from the Spanish capital. Officials also warned the fire was close to joining another wildfire burning in the neighbouring Castilla y León region.
Among those displaced are more than 1,200 elderly and disabled residents who have been moved to safety as emergency shelters were established in schools, gymnasiums and public buildings.
The largest active wildfire in Spain continues to burn in Guadalajara province, about 100 kilometres north of Madrid, where approximately 32,000 hectares have already been destroyed. Around Madrid, another 6,000 hectares have been consumed by flames.
In France, the fires near Cap Ferret and Biscarrosse have burned more than 13,500 hectares.
Residents described scenes of panic as thick smoke engulfed communities.
“The smoke was incredibly thick. You couldn’t breathe,” José Cobos, who fled his home southwest of Madrid with his wife and three dogs, told Antena 3 television.
In Andernos, France, 90-year-old Maria Lalanne, who was evacuated from Lege-Cap-Ferret, said she fled without essential personal belongings.
“I have heart disease, high blood pressure and problems with my eyes. I don’t know how long all this will last. I don’t know how my house is, whether it has burnt,” she said.
The European Commission has responded to requests for assistance by deploying four water-bombing aircraft to Spain and three to France under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Italy is also battling dozens of wildfires, particularly on the island of Sicily, where one firefighter was killed this week, underscoring the scale of the wildfire emergency affecting several parts of the continent.