Flames engulf France and Spain, over 80,000 evacuated; emergency declared in Madrid area

A devastating wave of fires has engulfed France and Spain, forcing authorities to evacuate more than 80,000 people from threatened regions, in one of the worst crises of recent years.

In French territory, a full evacuation order was given for the popular tourist peninsula of Cap Ferret. Meanwhile, Spain has activated a national state of emergency due to the uncontrolled advance of fires near the capital.

In the Gironde department, the flames that broke out on Tuesday have charred more than 10,000 hectares. Laurent Nuñez, the French Interior Minister, confirmed the relocation of around 40,000 individuals from Cap Ferret, where a good portion of residents and vacationers left by sea on boats, while the rest were transported by car.

According to field data, 53 houses and a holiday center have been reduced to ashes, but the intensive intervention of firefighting teams has enabled the rescue of nearly 2,000 homes. The rate of fire spread has been alarming, with a speed reaching up to 1,000 hectares burned within an hour at some points.

Another powerful front has become active in the Landes region, in the Biscarrosse area. There, more than 23,000 people have been evacuated from residences, campsites, a nursing home, and a summer camp. Authorities report that 105 buildings are either completely destroyed or severely damaged.

Faced with this picture, in Spain, the central executive declared a national state of emergency. Several outbreaks near Madrid have gone beyond all predictions; two of them, those in Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias, have merged into a single one. This has forced the evacuation of more than 19,000 residents from three towns west of the Madrid metropolitan area.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the situation as ‘dramatic,’ while the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, stressed that the region is facing ‘the largest fire incident in the region’s history’.

In France, the battle with the flames has had a tragic cost: two firefighters lost their lives on Tuesday during operations to extinguish a fire near Bordeaux airport. In response, the European Union has mobilized air assets for both countries, sending three planes and two helicopters to France, and four specialized planes to Spain.

Field specialists underline that extreme weather, with record temperatures, prolonged drought, and strong winds, is creating an ideal environment for the rapid advance of fires. The European Climate Change Service ‘Copernicus’ notes that Europe is warming faster than any other continent, making the summer period increasingly dangerous for large-scale fire outbreaks each year.