Key facts
- Wildfires in France and Spain have forced over 250,000 people to evacuate.
- Three fatalities have been reported: two firefighters in France and one man in Spain.
- High winds and heatwaves are intensifying the blazes and hampering containment efforts.
- France has deployed its military to aid firefighters, while Spain declared a national emergency.
- The EU has mobilized firefighting resources to support both countries.
Wildfires are raging across southern Europe, forcing mass evacuations and straining firefighting resources. In France, over 200,000 people have been evacuated, particularly in the Gironde and Landes regions, with flames approaching the city of Bordeaux. The French military has been mobilized to assist, and the Tour de France has shortened its final stage to redeploy security forces.
Spain is also battling significant blazes, especially near Madrid and Ávila, leading to nearly 60,000 evacuations and the declaration of a national emergency for the first time. A man died in a fire in Manises, near Valencia. While weather conditions have slightly improved in some Spanish regions, high winds continue to fuel fires elsewhere.
The European Union has activated its civil protection mechanism, sending firefighting aircraft and personnel from various member states to support France and Spain. Officials warn that the damage from this year's wildfires could surpass previous records, with forecasters predicting further heatwaves and more outbreaks as the summer progresses.