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Wildfires 'never seen before' force thousands to flee in France and Spain
🇮🇪 Ireland /Disasters & Emergencies

Wildfires 'never seen before' force thousands to flee in France and Spain

From RTÉ News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • French authorities are evacuating thousands near Bordeaux as wildfires rage, with the Prime Minister stating the fires have reached an unprecedented level.
  • Over 141,000 people have been evacuated from the Gironde and Landes regions where the fires began.
  • In Spain, firefighters are battling blazes near Madrid, with erratic winds posing a threat to containment efforts after 63,000 people fled their homes.

French authorities evacuated thousands of residents from suburbs near Bordeaux on Saturday as wildfires in the region showed no signs of abating. Sophie Brocas, who heads the local administration for La Nouvelle-Aquitaine et de la Gironde, announced on X that Le Haillan, Eysines, and Merignac were being cleared.

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

— Sebastien LecornuFrench Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu commenting on the severity of the wildfires.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated that over 141,000 people had been evacuated from the Gironde and Landes regions, where the wildfires first erupted this week. "The fires which are hitting our country have reached a level that has never been seen before," Lecornu wrote on X. The French army has been deployed to assist in firefighting efforts.

There is a real opportunity now to tackle this fire with some guarantee of success.

— Francisco MartinCentral government's delegate in Madrid commenting on the conditions for fighting the wildfires.

Temperatures in the Aquitaine region have averaged 32.2C this month, a significant 7.3C above the 1961-1990 July average, according to Reuters Climate Monitor data. Meanwhile, in Spain, firefighters are working to control wildfires near Madrid, though an official warned that unpredictable winds could worsen the situation. The fires have forced 63,000 people to flee their homes or stay indoors, described by officials as the region's worst fire on record.

The temperature has dropped, the wind has eased and the relative humidity has risen.

— Francisco MartinCentral government's delegate in Madrid commenting on favorable conditions for fighting the wildfires.

"There is a real opportunity now to tackle this fire with some guarantee of success," Francisco Martin, the central government's delegate in Madrid, said late Friday, noting that temperatures had dropped, winds had eased, and humidity had risen. However, he cautioned that Saturday would be difficult due to expected rising winds. Carlos Novillo, the Madrid regional government's emergency management chief, had earlier stated the fire was "at its peak and... currently beyond the capacity of firefighters to contain."

The wind is expected to rise in the morning, with rather erratic gusts.

— Francisco MartinCentral government's delegate in Madrid warning about worsening conditions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by RTÉ News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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