Europe wildfires: more than 300,000 flee homes and holiday accommodation as fires rage
Wildfires in France and Spain have forced over 300,000 people to evacuate; the main blaze in southwestern France threatens Bordeaux, closing a major highway.
Authorities in France and Spain are battling massive wildfires that have triggered one of the largest civilian evacuations in recent years. According to latest figures, more than 300,000 people have fled their homes and holiday accommodations, seeking shelter in emergency centers.
In France, approximately 220,000 people have been evacuated from the main forest fire raging in the southwest, which threatens the city of Bordeaux. Regional officials announced that a 60-kilometer stretch of the A63 highway from Bordeaux to the Spanish border has been closed due to the flames. Tens of thousands more have been evacuated from other wildfires in France and central Spain.
About 1,500 French firefighters and military reinforcements are deployed around the clock to combat the blazes in southwestern France. In the Gironde region, where Bordeaux is located, overnight evacuation orders were issued for five additional localities, including some on the city's outskirts. Gusty winds have fueled the flames, accelerating the spread and making the fire unpredictable and difficult to manage, according to firefighter Captain Nicolas Braz.
In Spain, one person was killed in the eastern part of the country, and fresh evacuation orders were issued near Bordeaux and Madrid. Authorities warned of another difficult night. Families spent the night on camp beds in exhibition halls and gymnasiums after fleeing walls of smoke and flames that swept through forests and tourist areas.
The Gironde fire service reported a rare “pyro cumulonimbus” cloud, which generated its own winds and whirlwinds, making the blaze “erratic and unmanageable.” Spanish authorities also ordered new evacuations near Toledo, southwest of Madrid.
