Key facts
- Approximately 12,000 people evacuated in southwestern France due to wildfires.
- Over 2,000 hectares of land destroyed in the Gironde region.
- A firefighter died tackling a wildfire in San Cataldo, Italy.
- Record temperatures and heatwaves are contributing to widespread wildfires across Europe.
- Vehicle engine use banned in French forested areas amid fire risk.
Wildfires are raging across southwestern France, forcing the evacuation of approximately 12,000 people, including 10,000 tourists, as the country battles intense heatwaves. The Gironde region has seen over 2,000 hectares of land destroyed, leading authorities to ban the use of internal combustion and electric engines in forested areas and close several roads. This comes days after two firefighters died near Bordeaux airport.
In Italy, authorities are also contending with significant wildfires. The President of Sicily, Renato Schifani, extended wishes for a speedy recovery to a firefighter injured in San Cataldo, where Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi paid tribute to Alessandro Marchi, who died in the line of duty. Salvo Cocina, head of the Sicilian Civil Protection, stated that human causes were behind the more than 350 fires on the island, including ten major ones that necessitated precautionary evacuations.
France is mourning the two firefighters who died earlier in the week, with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez attending a tribute event. The Gironde region remains on red alert, with leisure sites in exposed forest areas scheduled to close. These fires are part of a broader pattern of unusual and prolonged heatwaves affecting Europe this summer. Madrid has also experienced fires, though most evacuated residents have been permitted to return, with one area in Villa del Prado still under evacuation orders. Local authorities continue to warn of an extreme fire risk, with Spain's weather service forecasting temperatures up to 36C. A report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service identified Europe as the fastest-warming continent, with record wildfire-burnt area and fire emissions observed last year.