Wildfires ripping through France and Spain have forced almost 300,000 people to leave their homes, as authorities race to contain flames near Bordeaux and across central Spain.
French authorities said more than 220,000 people had been displaced since the fires began, including 55,000 from the Gironde region in the southwest. In Spain, officials in Madrid said about 73,000 people had been ordered to evacuate.
The pressure has been sharpest around Gironde, where the fire shifted direction and moved to about 30km from Bordeaux. The French government has begun evacuating residents from suburbs around the city, while regional officials said 68 firefighters had been injured and 140 homes destroyed.
French President Emmanuel Macron said all civil and military resources had been mobilised. He told affected communities: “We will rebuild, we will repair, and we will be there as long as it takes.”
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said around 30 wildfires were active across France and nearly 100,000 hectares had burned this year. He said the situation in Gironde “remains particularly critical” and warned: “The coming hours could be difficult.”
France is deploying 1,500 military personnel to the southwest, with hundreds already on the ground. Germany said it would send an A400 military aircraft, helicopters and rescue teams, while other EU members have provided vehicles and personnel.
Spain has declared a national emergency over the fires, with evacuations concentrated in Avila and areas near Madrid. The Spanish Interior Ministry said a man died in a separate wildfire after being found in a car near Valencia.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned there were “challenging hours ahead”, but said cooler conditions had created a “window of opportunity” for emergency crews.
