Bordeaux, France. Tens of thousands of people fled wildfires by road and boat in southwest France on Friday, while Spain declared a national emergency after major blazes merged outside Madrid amid extreme heat and dry conditions.
Evacuations in southwest France
French authorities ordered the full evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, a tourism destination on the Atlantic coast. About 110,000 people, including many tourists, were told to leave as two major fires threatened homes and campsites.
Authorities deployed boats to assist the evacuation. French President Emmanuel Macron requested army support for firefighting operations, according to a source close to the president.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told TF1 that the fire was self-sustaining, could change direction and was moving mainly east towards the Bordeaux metropolitan area.
Yoan Urien, 26, who left his home in Biscarrosse after police ordered his neighbourhood evacuated late on Thursday, said the fires were visible from his home and that the clouds had become increasingly dark.
Spain declares national emergency
In Spain, a third blaze was close to joining two fires that had already merged outside Madrid, government officials said.
The national emergency declaration, Spain’s first for a wildfire, made federal funding available to address the crisis. Madrid regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso described the fires as the worst wildfire in the region’s history, citing very high temperatures and persistent winds.
European assistance sought
France and Spain sought help from the European Union as the fires placed pressure on emergency services.
Both countries have experienced repeated heatwaves and wildfires in recent months and years. Scientists have said climate change has worsened such conditions.