Uncontrolled wildfires in France and Spain force 200,000 people to flee

Unprecedented wildfires have erupted near Madrid and Bordeaux, prompting the evacuation of more than 200,000 people in France and Spain. Bordeaux, a French city, is surrounded by renowned tourist spots and vineyards worldwide.

After requesting European Union assistance on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron asked for the army to be mobilized to combat the country's worst-ever wildfires, while a local official warned that flames are approaching Bordeaux.

Approximately 44,000 people fled the Cap Ferret peninsula, located in the southern part of Bordeaux on the Atlantic coast, where the only road was at risk of being cut off by the flames. Boats evacuated hundreds of people, while others left by car. The area is known for its billionaire residences, with over 50 homes destroyed.

According to French and Spanish authorities, at least 141,000 people were evacuated in southwestern France and 25,000 in the Madrid region, including over 1,200 elderly and disabled individuals.

Madrid and Paris have requested European Union aid, as strong winds and drought have fueled the wildfires in dry forests. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France has never seen fires of this scale before and vowed to take all possible measures to protect Bordeaux.

Carlos Novelo, the head of emergency management for the Madrid regional government, said the wildfire near the capital is at its peak and is currently beyond the control of firefighters. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit the affected area on Saturday and tour the emergency coordination center.

His French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, convened an emergency meeting with key ministers on Friday evening and said 1,000 soldiers would be deployed to fight the flames, which have so far burned 22,000 hectares of land. Additionally, he stated on X that 1.5 million FFP2 masks would be sent to Gironde starting tonight to protect the affected staff and populations from the hazardous smoke.

Authorities said that of the 1,000 firefighters battling the Cap Ferret blaze, about 40 have been injured. Three firefighters have died in wildfires in France and Italy this week. Authorities said two of the three large wildfires in the west of Madrid have merged, threatening a suburban town.

Some European regions have faced at least two heatwaves since May, and drought exacerbated by human-induced climate change has increased the risk of wildfires this year, according to a study published this week by the World Weather Attribution group.

In southwestern France, emergency shelters were set up in schools and gymnasiums for tourists and residents who did not know what they would return to. Fire brigade support teams have been sent from across France, and after aid appeals, the European Commission said it is sending four water bomber planes to Spain and three to France.

The fires surrounding Madrid are the worst in the region's history, said Regional President Isabel Diaz Ayuso as she announced further evacuations. Two fires in the west of Madrid have merged and are approaching the town of Navas del Rey, about 50 kilometers from the capital.

Authorities said a new fire is close to merging with another wildfire in the neighboring Castilla Leon region. The largest active flame is still burning in the Guadalajara province, about 100 kilometers north of Madrid, where it has burned nearly 32,000 hectares of land.

The French fires, around Cap Ferret and Biscarosse, have already burned over 13,500 hectares, while an additional 6,000 hectares have been destroyed in the Madrid region. Italy is also battling wildfires, with dozens of flames erupting on the Sicily island in recent days. One firefighter was killed in Sicily, and two others died while fighting a fire near Bordeaux Airport.