Wildfires burning along the coast of southwestern France pushed closer to the city of Bordeaux on Saturday, prompting the evacuation of thousands of residents in surrounding communities, while firefighters in neighboring Spain struggled against strong winds fueling a massive blaze near the capital, Madrid.
Across both nations, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes as the fires continue to spread — the latest in a string of natural disasters tied to prolonged dry conditions and repeated heatwaves that scientists say have grown worse due to climate change.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu took to social media to address the severity of the situation, writing: “The fires that are hitting our country have reached a level that has never been seen before.”
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez later spoke with reporters, warning that the battle ahead would not be easy. “We expect a fight that will be long and very difficult,” he said, also confirming that Bordeaux’s airport had been shut down.
France has called in its military forces to assist fire brigades that have been overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster. Meanwhile, Spain declared its first-ever national emergency over a wildfire situation, stemming from three separate fires, two of which combined into one on Friday.
Spain’s Civil Protection Service announced that four additional water-dropping aircraft were expected to arrive Saturday — two from Italy and two from Greece — as part of a coordinated European Union emergency response. Firefighting planes from the Netherlands and Portugal were already operating in Spain.
Strong, gusty winds have helped spread the fires in both countries. The coastal area near Bordeaux is a popular tourist destination featuring pine forests that are highly susceptible to fire. The region is also internationally recognized for the vineyards that produce its famous wines.
Since the fires broke out earlier this week, approximately 197,000 people have been evacuated from the Gironde and Landes regions near Bordeaux. In Spain, more than 63,000 people have either been evacuated or ordered to stay inside their homes due to the three major fires burning there.
Interior Minister Nunez noted that the fire was approximately 30 kilometers — about 19 miles — from Bordeaux. He said conditions were somewhat calmer Saturday morning but cautioned that winds were forecast to strengthen again in the afternoon. French authorities have advised people to avoid traveling to the area by road or rail.
In Spain, many residents of Madrid maintain second homes in a densely populated area west of the capital, within the Madrid region, where two of the fires merged. A third fire burning in Avila province has threatened to combine with those two blazes, according to Nicanor Sen, the government representative for the Castile and Leon region, who spoke to reporters on Friday.
Esteban Carrasco, who owns the Monasterio de Pelayos campsite located west of Madrid, described the moment the fire reached his property on Friday. He told national broadcaster TVE that around 30 mobile homes were destroyed, and roughly 200 campers described as coming from “humble backgrounds” had to evacuate. No injuries were reported.
“It was a horrific disaster,” Carrasco said, gesturing to show how mobile homes on one side of a road were completely destroyed while those on the opposite side were left untouched.
Although Madrid was blanketed in smoke on Friday, air quality improved somewhat by Saturday. Even so, Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia urged residents to take precautions. “Avoid physical activity and staying outdoors. If you go outdoors and there is smoke or ash, use a mask,” she posted on social media.
