Fires claim lives in France and Spain, forcing 250,000 to flee

Devastating wildfires are tearing across Europe, forcing mass evacuations and claiming lives. In France, three people have died and over 197,000 have been forced to flee their homes, particularly in regions near Bordeaux, including the entire Cap Ferret peninsula. The fires are described as "unprecedented," with one blaze near Bordeaux generating its own winds and threatening the metropolitan area.

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Our priority is clear: protecting human lives.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu emphasized the priority is "protecting human lives" and urged respect for evacuation orders. The Gironde region prefect, Sophie Brocas, noted that strong winds were pushing the fire closer to Bordeaux, necessitating evacuations by boat from Cap Ferret due to the fire's rapid and unpredictable movement. The country has deployed specially adapted cargo aircraft to drop fire retardants, and armed forces are assisting overwhelmed brigades, distributing face masks to prevent smoke inhalation.

Meanwhile, Spain is grappling with its own severe wildfires, prompting the government to declare a national emergency. Fires near Madrid merged, threatening the capital and its surrounding areas, forcing approximately 70,000 people to evacuate villages west of the city. A man was found dead in his car in Manises, Valencia, bringing the total confirmed deaths to three across both countries.

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The fires that are hitting our country have reached a level that has never been seen before.

Firefighters in both nations are working under extreme conditions. French officials reported dozens of injured firefighters, and two died battling a blaze near Bordeaux airport. The scale of the evacuations and the intensity of the fires underscore the severe impact of the heatwaves affecting Europe.

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The priority was "to save lives".