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Thousands of people were forced to flee deadly wildfires that continued to sweep through parts of France, Spain and Italy on Friday. Hundreds of firefighters backed by water-bombing planes battled the blazes fanned by scorching temperatures and strong winds. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Spain declares state of emergency in Madrid region and another province
Faced with the uncontrollable spread of the fires, the Spanish government has declared a “national emergency” in the Madrid region and in the province of Ávila, near the capital – a measure that enables the state to mobilise more resources to extinguish the fires.
The measure, announced by the Ministry of the Interior, aims to mobilise and centralise resources more quickly to combat the fires, which have led to the evacuation of 10,000 people in Madrid, and entrusts the Military Emergency Unit with managing the crisis.
“The Government has deployed all available resources to bring under control the terrible fires currently affecting numerous areas: Ávila, León, Toledo, Madrid and other parts of Spain,” wrote Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on X, urging the public to exercise “great caution” and to follow “the instructions” of the authorities.
Hundreds flee French Cap Ferret peninsula by boat to escape wildfire
Hundreds of people fled by boat from a peninsula in western France, as authorities ordered it evacuated in the face of a rapidly advancing wildfire.
Boats have ferried more than 400 people so far from the Cap Ferret peninsula that stretches along France’s Atlantic coast west of the city of Bordeaux, city authorities said.
The fire raging near one of France’s prized wine regions has so far devoured an area roughly one and a half the size of Manhattan, and is just one of several blazes raging in the country in the middle of the summer vacation season.
France seeks EU civil protection mechanism for wildfires
France has requested assistance from the European Union to help it deal with a major wildfire near the country’s Atlantic coast, said President Emmanuel Macron.
“The situation remains extremely tense with the fires hitting our country, particularly in Gironde,” wrote Macron on X.
“France has requested the activation of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” he added.
Deadly wildfires in Europe force thousands to flee
Wildfires fanned by scorching temperatures and strong winds swept through parts of Italy, France and Spain, forcing thousands of people to flee as hundreds of firefighters backed by water-bombing planes battled the blazes.
Thousands of tourists on France’s southwestern Atlantic coast were forced out of campsites and holiday homes, while Spanish authorities ordered a town near Madrid to evacuate late Thursday because of an out-of-control fire.
The total area of land burnt so far this year in EU countries is the second largest on record, according to satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
🎥 ‘A recipe for disaster’: France’s dry southwest struggles to contain wildfire
A wildfire is moving extremely fast through a touristy peninsula close to the dune du Pila and Cap Ferret, dubbed “the Hamptons of France”. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate as firefighters struggle to contain the blaze.
FRANCE 24’s Christopher Bockman is in Toulouse and explains why the fire is spreading so fast.
Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering wildfires in Europe.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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