"Hard to Believe," Spreading in an Instant... Evacuation Orders Issued for 230,000 People

[Anchor]

Massive wildfires are spreading rapidly across Europe. Evacuation orders have been issued for 230,000 people in Spain and France alone. Spain has declared a state of emergency and requested urgent assistance from the European Union.

Reporter Kim Yongtae has the details.

[Reporter]

Entire residential areas are engulfed in flames and smoke.

Driven by the wind, the fierce flames that scorched the forests are leaping from house to house.

Cars have been reduced to ashes with only their metal frames remaining, while firefighters established defense lines and battled the flames through the night.

On Friday, local time, three wildfires that broke out west of the Spanish capital of Madrid merged into a massive blaze.

It instantly scorched 30 square kilometers, and firefighting efforts faced severe challenges due to dry weather and extreme temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F).

[Isabel Diaz Ayuso / President of the Community of Madrid, Spain : As you can see, the wildfires are very active. This is an unprecedented situation. With high temperatures and relentless strong winds combining to sweep through like a storm, there is no time to rest.]

Spain declared a state of emergency over wildfires for the first time in its history and issued evacuation orders for 25,000 people.

[Evacuated Resident (Spain) : I went out to the garden and the flames were soaring. The fire brigade shouted at us to evacuate.]

More than 30 wildfires have also broken out in France, which borders Spain.

In particular, in the southwestern Gironde region, the fires have scorched 220 square kilometers, an area more than twice the size of Paris.

As evacuation orders were issued for 210,000 people, lines of fleeing vehicles continued late into the night.

[Renaud / Evacuated Resident (France) : It is unimaginable and hard to believe, but there is nothing we can do. The government could have taken faster action.]

Spain and France have requested emergency support from the European Union (EU), and the EU has decided to dispatch firefighting aircraft and helicopters.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-yeol, Design: Kang Yun-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.