Worst Wildfires in France and Spain Force Over 230,000 to Evacuate as Crews Fight to Contain Blazes

The worst wildfires to hit France and Spain have forced more than 230,000 residents to evacuate so far.

Fire authorities are mobilizing all available personnel and resources to battle the flames, but adverse weather conditions are hampering response efforts on the ground.

According to the French daily Le Figaro, a wildfire that broke out in southwestern France on the 22nd has continued to spread, burning over 22,000 hectares—twice the area of Paris—and destroying 100 buildings so far.

While there have been no casualties yet, a total of 141,000 people had evacuated from this region alone as of yesterday.

As the wildfire that started in the western coastal area was driven by winds to gradually move eastward, local authorities issued additional preventive evacuation orders early this morning, local time, for seven municipalities near Bordeaux.

The population residing in these areas alone exceeds 69,000, bringing the total number of evacuees to 210,000.

After holding an inter-ministerial crisis response meeting last night, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu posted on X (formerly Twitter) stating, "The government has decided to mobilize all necessary resources," adding, "More than 500 military personnel have already been deployed, and about 15 more units will join, bringing the total number of military personnel supporting firefighters to over 1,000."

Lecornu further added, "1.5 million FFP2 masks will be delivered to the site to protect personnel and residents exposed to toxic smoke."

The French government's road traffic information service urged citizens leaving for their summer vacations over the weekend to "clear the roads for rescue teams," asking them to bypass the wildfire-affected areas using alternative routes or to postpone their trips altogether.

In Spain, which has declared a state of emergency due to the record-breaking wildfires, fires near the capital of Madrid continue to spread fiercely, forcing about 25,000 people to leave their homes and evacuate so far.

Spanish authorities have ordered about 40,000 people to shelter in place.

Two wildfires that broke out in the western part of the Madrid region have merged into one, growing uncontrollably and threatening to combine with another fire in an adjacent area.

According to AFP, the head of the Madrid regional government's emergency response center told reporters, "This wildfire has reached its peak and is currently beyond what firefighters can manage."

Madrid authorities expressed concern that firefighting efforts will become even more difficult as winds strengthen and erratic gusts are expected.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to hold a press briefing after convening an emergency response meeting in the disaster area.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.