- More than 200,000 people have fled their homes due to raging wildfires in France and Spain, with some escaping by boat.
- Firefighters are struggling to contain wildfires near Madrid, which have forced at least 60,000 people to evacuate.
- Over 140,000 people have been evacuated in France, particularly from the Gironde and Landes regions.
- Conditions are severe in both countries, with officials describing the Madrid wildfire as the worst in the region's history.
- Evacuations included the entire Cap Ferret peninsula in France, where hundreds escaped by boat as flames swept through the area.
- Spanish officials have warned that a wildfire near Madrid is "beyond the capacity" of firefighters to contain.
- French President Emmanuel Macron has mobilized the military to assist in firefighting efforts.
- Dozens of firefighters have been injured in France, but no deaths have been reported in either country.
More than 200,000 people have been evacuated due to wildfires raging in France and Spain, with Madrid's regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso calling it the "worst fire in the history of the region." In Spain, 60,000 residents were forced to flee as fires merged into a single blaze, described as "beyond the capacity" of firefighters to contain.1
In France, over 110,000 people evacuated from the Gironde and Landes regions, with some fleeing by boat as flames swept through the popular Cap Ferret peninsula. The French interior ministry reported that 141,000 people fled their homes, with the fire consuming 19,000 hectares (46,000 acres) and destroying around 80 homes.
French President Emmanuel Macron has mobilized military resources to assist in firefighting efforts, while Spain declared a national emergency for the first time due to the wildfires. The Madrid region has seen 1,140 square kilometres (440 square miles) burned this year, significantly higher than previous years. Dozens of firefighters have been injured, but no fatalities have been reported in either country.8
As conditions worsen, authorities warn that the number of evacuees could rise, with embers flying for miles and fires jumping great distances. Francisco Martín, the government delegate in Madrid, stated, "embers are flying for miles and the fire is jumping great distances."
“In Spain, Madrid's regional president called it the "worst fire in the history of the region", with 60,000 evacuated from towns west of the capital. In France, more than 110,000 fled the Gironde and Landes regions, with President Macron mobilizing the military and EU reinforcements.”
BBC
