Europe wildfires rage on, forcing more than 250,000 from homes
From the outskirts of Bordeaux to communities near Madrid, fast-moving wildfires in France and Spain are driving mass evacuations, destroying homes, and claiming lives. As
From the outskirts of Bordeaux to communities near Madrid, fast-moving wildfires in France and Spain are driving mass evacuations, destroying homes, and claiming lives. As wildfires continue to engulf massive stretches of western France and central Spain, more than 250,000 people have been forced to flee, with flames devouring forests and homes near Bordeaux and Madrid. Firefighters have said that the blazes, the largest recorded in both countries in recent years, are so massive that they cannot be tackled head on. Man killed in wildfire near Valencia The Spanish Interior Ministry said Saturday that a man was killed in a wildfire in the town of Manises, near Valencia. Local authorities said firefighters managed to bring the blaze in Manises under control but "unfortunately the fire has claimed the life of one person." The body was found in a car in a ravine. Two French firefighters died earlier this week near Bordeaux and one in Sicily, Italy, which is now also battling blazes. Wildfires have forced the evacuation of some 250,000 people in southwestern France and central Spain Image: Violeta Santos Moura/REUTERS On France's Atlantic coast, 44,000 people were removed from the Cap Ferret peninsula, many by boat. Towns near Bordeaux, the famed winemaking town popular with tourists, were evacuated "as a precaution" as strong winds fueled approaching flames. On Saturday morning, regional authorities further ordered the evacuation of three of the city's western suburbs "to ensure residents' safety." In all, French authorities say more than 197,000 people have been evacuated in France's western Gironde and Landes departments.
In Spain, the Interior Ministry said 70,000 have been forced to flee. Wildfires in southern Europe cause mass evacuations To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video EU sending firefighting aircraft to France and Spain Authorities in France say the country's two main blazes were sparked accidentally, however, as summers become drier and hotter the magnitude of such fires has increased exponentially. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who said the government would do everything possible to protect citizens, warned that a wind shift had transformed the Cap Ferret blaze into "a large, self-sustaining fire that is extremely difficult to bring under control." "It is now moving east, toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area," added Nunez, who pledged, "We are going to reorganize our response so we can fight it from the ground and prevent it from advancing toward Bordeaux." Heat waves fuel wildfires across southern Europe To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video French President Emmanuel Macron called for European Union assistance on Friday as well as the mobilization of the French army to halt fires that have so far destroyed 22,000 hectares (54,000 acres) of land. The European Commission announced that it is sending three firefighting aircraft to France and four to Spain in an effort to gain the upper hand.
The BriefWire