[Anchor]
Uncontrollable wildfires spreading across France and Spain have displaced some 360,000 people. A state of emergency has been declared in Spain, and the world-renowned wine-producing region of Bordeaux is now threatened by the flames.
Kim Young-a reports.
[Reporter]
Columns of thick black smoke continuously rise along the road.
Firefighting aircraft and engines rush in incessantly, while workers are busy cutting down healthy trees and plowing fields in the open land.
[Jo Meng / Public Relations Officer, Gironde Fire Department: This is to cut off fuel as much as possible. Once we station fire engines here, we can establish a firebreak to prevent the flames from spreading.]
The Gironde wildfire, which began on France's famous resort peninsula of Cap Ferret, is moving eastward at an alarming speed.
It has approached within just 20 kilometers of downtown Bordeaux.
As of the morning of the 26th, local time, 42,000 hectares—four times the area of Paris—had burned, and 256,000 people had evacuated.
Remaining residents are locked in a desperate struggle to protect Bordeaux, the world-famous wine region, from the flames.
[Hernandez / President, Gironde Young Farmers Association: This is to protect our precious homes. If we quickly pump water, firefighters can focus on putting out the fire.]
In Spain, where a state of emergency has been declared, the flames have even reached the capital region of Madrid.
Parts of the city have been reduced to ashes, and evacuation orders have been issued for 60,000 people in Madrid alone, and over 100,000 when including neighboring areas.
[Dominguez / Evacuated Resident, Madrid: Cars were tangled up everywhere, and every road was packed with vehicles trying to get out, so it was absolute chaos. It felt like the end of the world.]
With extreme heatwaves drying out grass and trees completely, combined with strong winds, the fires show little sign of subsiding.
The European Union has activated its disaster response cooperation system, deploying firefighting aircraft and personnel to France and Spain.
Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for those affected by the unprecedented wildfires and for the rescue workers.
(Video by Jung Sung-hun)
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