Hundreds of Thousands Flee as Fires Rage in Spain and France

Emergency Evacuations and Military Support in Southwestern France

In France, authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 197,000 people from the Gironde and Landes regions in the country’s southwest, where the fires have burned through an area about three times the size of Paris. Laurent Nuñez, France’s interior minister, said after a crisis meeting in Paris that in the Gironde area the fire was less intense last night than we had feared, enabling firefighters to tackle the blaze more directly. But he added that unfavorable winds were expected to pick up later in the afternoon. France sent a hulking military cargo plane to dump tons of flame retardants as it battled raging wildfires on Saturday and slashed the final stage of Tour de France to redeploy security personnel to the blazes that forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. In France, the giant A400M transporter swooped in low, its long plume of ochre-colored retardant trailing over drought-hit woodlands in the southwest as fire crews on the ground fought flames that authorities feared could spread toward the wine region city of Bordeaux.

The Gironde fire is less than 20 miles from Bordeaux and is moving in the city’s direction, French authorities said, prompting precautionary evacuations in several of its western suburbs. Thomas Cazenave, Bordeaux’s mayor, told reporters on Saturday that there were no plans to evacuate the city itself but that it was prepared to deal with any possibility. Around 800,000 people live in Bordeaux and its surrounding area. The region is famed for wine production, although most of its vineyards and wineries are to the east and north of the city. With winds expected to shift in a west-to-east direction on Saturday afternoon, potentially driving flames closer to Bordeaux, fire crews and authorities were digging trenches, using retardants and taking other blaze-blocking steps, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, predicting a long and very difficult battle. He said the fire was about 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the city and lost some of its intensity overnight. The prefect of the Gironde region that includes Bordeaux said the blaze grew into “a firestorm” on Friday after igniting earlier this week and cautioned that it remains dangerous even though firefighters were making progress. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the fires as unprecedented and said the Gironde blaze became so strong. France has sent 1,000 troops to assist firefighters, and it is deploying for the first time a massive military cargo aircraft. The government mobilized soldiers to join fire crews and was rushing in 1.5 million face masks to protect against choking smoke. Authorities ordered people between the fire and Bordeaux to evacuate, including from parts of the city’s western suburbs and other towns and villages.

Spain and France Evacuate Thousands as Unprecedented Wildfires Rage

Intense Blazes and Border Disruptions in the Pyrenees

In the remote foothills of the French Pyrenees near the Spanish border, 700 firefighters were struggling to contain an out-of-control wildfire that has ⁠scorched 5,000 hectares and prompted the evacuation of more than 10,000 people. This morning, conditions are ⁠deteriorating again, said the French interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, on Monday, adding that with wildfires now blazing in five departments, twice as much land had burned in France so far this season compared with the same time last year. The EU said on Monday it was sending ⁠four waterbombing aircraft to France from Cyprus and Sweden to help firefighters around the city of Perpignan. Europe stands with France, the European Commission president, Ursula ⁠von der Leyen, posted. The Pyrenees fire has nearly tripled in size since Sunday. It came within 300 metres [984ft] of the houses. We were shocked by how fast it spread, it was staggering – bordering on panic, Patrice, from the village of Trévillach, told Agence France-Presse.

Race organizers and the Paris police department announced a truncated 21st and final stage on Sunday for the three-week Tour, France’s most famous annual sporting event, reflecting the immense strain that two large fires in the southwest are causing for emergency services. Tour riders will race Sunday inside Paris, rather than starting from Thoiry, west of the capital, on a circuit of 89 kilometers (55 miles) — down by a third from the 133-kilometer (82.5-mile) route that had been planned. Part of the race’s security detail will instead reinforce the response efforts in the areas affected by the wildfires, according to the statement announcing the ”exceptional measures made necessary by the situation.

Spain Mobilizes Thousands as Fires Merge Near Madrid

In Spain, more than 80,000 people in the area near Madrid have been evacuated or ordered to remain indoors. The situation is still complex; our goal is to defend people's lives, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said at a command center in Cenicientos, a town west of Madrid that was evacuated hours after he spoke. Sánchez said there was a window of opportunity this weekend to fight the fire as temperatures eased but urged caution as strong winds and dry thunderstorms could further complicate firefighters’ work. Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, warned that the situation could worsen later Saturday after several fires merged into a single blaze, creating unusual atmospheric conditions. It is an unprecedented situation, unlike anything we have seen before, she said at a news conference.

Spain battles deadly wildfire that leaves at least 12 dead

Broader European Impacts and Climate Factors

Massive fires: More than 321,000 acres have been scorched in Spain since the beginning of the year, compared with an average of 247,000 acres per year over the past decade, according to Sanchez. In France, wildfires have burned more than over 240,000 acres this year, a historic record, Nuñez said. The blazes follow a premature May heatwave and another in June that shattered temperature records across western Europe, caused thousands of excess deaths and left vast areas of land particularly vulnerable to wildfires. Chantal Mauchet, the prefect of the Hérault department, where several fires have burned through at least 300 hectares of land, said on Monday southern France’s wildfire season had essentially started three or more weeks early. The World Weather Attribution group of scientists has said the extreme temperatures recorded in June would have been virtually impossible without the climate crisis. Temperatures are forecast to climb again this week, rising to 40C locally. Climate change is here, we are living the consequences and it is only the start of July, said the fire chief for Pyrénées-Orientales, Eric Belgioino.