Over 200,000 evacuated as wildfires ravage southern Europe
Massive forest fires have forced the evacuation of some 200,000 people in southwestern France and central Spain
Authorities evacuated parts of Bordeaux’s western outskirts on Saturday as a vast wildfire advanced toward the southwestern French city, widening a crisis that has displaced or confined more than 200,000 people in France and Spain.
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The evacuation zone included sections of three suburbs and the area around Bordeaux airport, while residents were also ordered to leave communities farther west toward the Atlantic coast. Officials said the fire had continued to expand despite a large firefighting deployment.
On the nearby Cap Ferret peninsula, settlements were being cleared in stages as flames consumed more than 19,000 hectares of forest. The blaze was moving rapidly and repeatedly changing direction, complicating efforts to contain it.
Spain declared its first nationwide wildfire emergency after two major fires outside Madrid joined together, with a third threatening to merge into the same front. Extreme heat, strong winds and exceptionally dry vegetation have fueled the spread.
Residents fled communities near both Madrid and Bordeaux on Friday as emergency crews struggled to establish control. France and Spain have requested assistance from the European Union.