Massive wildfires in southern Europe have forced the evacuation of more than 250,000 people in France and Spain. In France, the Gironde region is particularly hard-hit, with some 197,000 people evacuated from Gironde and Landes. The fire near Bordeaux, which started near the Cap Ferret peninsula 60 kilometers from the city, has grown to “unprecedented magnitude” due to strong winds, pushing it closer to the Bordeaux metropolitan area. Suburbs like Le Haillan, Eysines, and Mérignac, where the city’s airport is located, are under evacuation orders, though the airport remains open. Bordeaux authorities have opened an exhibition center to provide food and shelter for thousands of evacuees.
In Spain, over 70,000 people have been evacuated, with fires ravaging nearly 10,000 hectares in the Madrid region and between 13,000 and 15,000 hectares in the neighboring province of Avila. The Spanish government has declared a national emergency, and a major blaze near Madrid has reached a peak beyond firefighters' containment capacity. The U.S. space agency NASA has even evacuated its Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex, a critical facility for communicating with spacecraft.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated that wildfires across France have burned nearly 98,000 hectares, a “historic record.” The fires have destroyed more than 50 houses on the Cap Ferret peninsula, known for its millionaire residences. The Bordeaux region, famous for its vineyards and as a tourist hub, is seeing its suburbs and surrounding towns evacuated as a precautionary measure, underscoring the severe impact of these uncontained blazes.
