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Wildfires displace hundreds
Wildfires in Spain and France forced large-scale evacuations, with ABC News reporting that over 257,000 people were evacuated and The Independent putting the figure at about 280,000 this week.
“At least 1 dead, more than 257,000 evacuated amid wildfires in Spain, France France is expected to get its fourth heatwave next week”
In Spain, a man died in Manises near Valencia after being found in a car in a ravine, and ABC News said the victim was a 78-year-old man caught in the blaze near his orchard.
In France, the evacuations centered on the Gironde and Landes areas near Bordeaux, where ABC News said 198,000 people were evacuated across Gironde, Landes, Var and Tarn regions and The Independent reported winds in Spain were expected to pick up with gusts of up to 60 kph.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu wrote on X that “The fires which are hitting our country have reached a level that has never been seen before,” as the crisis response expanded.
The Independent also said the emergency mission to contain the wildfires was complicated by wind and that authorities ordered the evacuation of large parts of Bordeaux’s suburbs, including Le Haillan, Eysines and Merignac.
Officials warn of shifting winds
As the fires burned near Madrid and Bordeaux, Al Jazeera reported that erratic winds threatened to fan flames further and quoted Carlos Novillo, the Madrid regional government’s emergency management chief, saying the wildfire near the capital was “at its peak and is currently beyond the capacity of firefighters to contain”.
Al Jazeera also said Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez told reporters that “We are going to have some complex hours ahead because although the temperatures have gone down, we do not know exactly how the wind will develop, how strong it will be.”
In France, ABC News described how the main Gironde fire was 30 kilometers from Bordeaux and said the flames were approaching again after the wind changed direction at midday.
ABC News added that prefect Sophie Brocas said the situation remained serious and dangerous even if the fire had lost a bit of intensity thanks to cooler temperatures and higher humidity.
The Guardian framed the response as a race to control blazes that were spreading unchecked, while also reporting that the French armed forces deployed 1,500 soldiers and supplied equipment including bulldozers, helicopters, drones, and A400M military aircraft.
Technology and aid escalate
The response included military aviation and firefighting aircraft, with The Guardian saying Spain’s emergency response involved “18 other aircraft” and Al Jazeera reporting that the French army had been drafted in while Macron asked the European Union for help.
“A wide fire is also affecting Cairngorms National Park in northern Scotland, where Prime Minister John Swinney described the situation as "complex and difficult”
In France, The Independent reported that Ursula von der Leyden praised “firefighters bravely battling the flames” and said five aircraft and two helicopters from the rescue fleet were deployed to France while four aircraft would be arriving in Spain.
CNN reported that France deployed a huge military cargo plane and a surge of other resources, and it also said the wildfires disrupted the Tour de France.
CNN added that local authorities said the Manises fire was brought under control about four hours later and that the town had declared “two days of official mourning, tomorrow and Monday, as a show of gratitude to Firefighters, Civil Protection, Police, and the Civil Guard.”
With the scale of displacement continuing, ABC News said 14 reception centers were open around Madrid with just over 2,000 people inside, and it reported that around 1,000 elderly people and people with disabilities and minors from care homes were being sheltered.
