Key facts
- Wildfires are threatening the city of Bordeaux, France, with a crisis cabinet meeting called by President Macron.
- A new heatwave is expected to worsen the situation, with temperatures potentially reaching 40C.
- The fires in France have burned approximately 42,000 hectares in the south-west, with over 220,000 people evacuated from the region.
- Spain is also experiencing significant wildfires, particularly near Valencia, leading to the evacuation of 15,000 people and affecting 77,000 hectares nationwide.
- The main fire in France's Gironde region has generated a pyrocumulonimbus cloud, a fire-fueled thunderstorm.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to hold a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday as wildfires approach the southwestern city of Bordeaux. The situation is being complicated by an impending heatwave, with temperatures expected to reach 40C in some areas from Tuesday.
The fires, which have raged across Europe over the past week, have already led to significant evacuations in France. Tens of thousands have been displaced from the region surrounding Bordeaux, and France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the situation as "very unfavourable," with the fire moving "erratically" towards the city.
In the Gironde region, the main fire has caused an unprecedented "pyrocumulonimbus" event, a giant fire thunderstorm fueled by its own winds and lightning. Firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze, with a spokesman for the National Firefighters Federation of France stating, "We cannot fight it directly." Controlling the fire would require significant rainfall or for it to naturally die down.
Across France, approximately 42,000 hectares have been burned in the south-west, and 98,000 hectares nationwide since the start of the year, with over 220,000 people evacuated from the south-west alone.
Meanwhile, Spain is also battling intense wildfires. Near the eastern coastal city of Valencia, around 15,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to a "very intense" blaze. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited a fire zone in Ávila province, calling for a "major public pact on the climate emergency." The fires in Spain have affected about 77,000 hectares, with the blaze in Ávila being the largest in the country's recent history. Authorities are also managing fires near Madrid, leading to the evacuation of over 90,000 people from the surrounding regions.