- Spain declared its first national wildfire emergency as fires spread near Madrid
- France evacuated about 63,000 people from wildfire-hit coastal communities
- Extreme heat and strong winds continue to fuel major blazes across Europe
Spain has declared its first-ever national emergency over wildfires as rapidly spreading blazes continue to devastate parts of the country, while tens of thousands of people have also been forced to flee major fires in neighbouring France.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that authorities in southwest France ordered the complete evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist destination on the Atlantic coast, as advancing flames threatened homes, campsites and access roads.
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In Spain, two major wildfires west of Madrid merged on Friday, with a third blaze reportedly close to joining them, raising fears of an even larger fire front.
The emergency declaration allows Spain’s central government to release additional resources and funding to support firefighting operations.
Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso described the disaster as the worst wildfire crisis the region has ever experienced, blaming extreme temperatures and persistent strong winds for accelerating the spread of the flames.
Thousands of residents in mountain communities west of Madrid were ordered to evacuate as more than 2,000 emergency personnel, supported by firefighting aircraft, battled to contain the fires.
The affected area, which includes several holiday homes owned by Madrid residents, has already suffered extensive damage, with dozens of houses destroyed.
In France, emergency officials said about 63,000 people, including many tourists, had been evacuated from coastal communities threatened by two major wildfires.
Authorities deployed boats to assist residents leaving the Cap Ferret peninsula after one of the fires threatened to cut off the only road linking the area to the mainland.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the blaze near Saumos had already consumed more than 10,000 hectares of forest, destroying around 80 homes, including about 50 that were completely burnt.
Evacuees described chaotic scenes as thick smoke darkened the skies and fast-moving flames forced families to abandon their homes with little notice.
Both France and Spain have requested assistance from the European Union as emergency services struggle to contain the growing number of wildfires.
Several European countries have responded by deploying firefighting aircraft and crews, including Greece, which sent two CL-415 aircraft to Spain, and Croatia, which dispatched a Canadair firefighting plane and support personnel to France.
The latest fires come amid an intense summer of heatwaves across Europe. Scientists have warned that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme heat, prolonged drought and destructive wildfires.
The prolonged heat has also begun affecting agriculture and energy production, with high river temperatures in France disrupting the cooling systems of some nuclear power plants and damaging maize crops across parts of the country.
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