Mass evacuations as France and Spain battle major wildfires

More than 325,000 people have fled wildfires in France and Spain as crews struggle to contain blazes intensified by extreme heat and drought, with forecasters warning that another heatwave is about to hit parts of France.

The fires have torn through southwest France near Bordeaux and parts of Spain including areas around Madrid, Avila and Valencia during the peak summer holiday season. Shelters were crowded with residents and tourists forced from their homes and campsites as thousands of firefighters, backed by water-bombing aircraft, fought advancing flames and heavy smoke.

France faces rare fire-driven weather threat

In France, the blaze in the southwestern Gironde region has burned 42,000 hectares since Wednesday. Around 220,000 people have been evacuated there, while 45 campsites were closed, disrupting the holidays of about 40,000 people. Another 30,000 people were forced to leave other fire-hit areas in France.

France’s national firefighters federation said the Gironde fire had triggered a “pyrocumulonimbus”, a huge fire cloud capable of generating its own winds as well as lightning and, at times, tornadoes that can spark further blazes. Federation spokesman Eric Brocardi said, “It’s a David-versus-Goliath scenario… at some point, we’ll find a weak spot and strike there.”

The prefect of Gironde urged tourists to avoid the area and choose other destinations. A local firefighter described the conditions by saying, “The wind is changing so much, it’s really the fire calling the shots.” The Gironde local authority said early Monday the fire had remained “broadly stable” overnight.

In Saint-Jean-d’Illac, resident Georges Clivaz said he was spraying water along a road near his property to try to slow the blaze. “We’re doing this to slow down the fire’s advance; we want to save our homes,” he said, adding that firefighters had warned the flames could reach the area within hours.

Two firefighters died near Bordeaux on Tuesday.

Spain struggles with fires near Madrid and Valencia

In Spain, about 75,000 residents were evacuated from the Madrid region, Avila, Toledo and Castellon in Valencia. Spain’s civil protection chief Virginia Barcones said the fire around Avila was a “monster”, adding, “We are dealing with a perimeter of 280 kilometres encompassing 77,000 hectares (190,000 acres).”

Authorities said on Monday that the fire was still not under control, though some restrictions were being eased. Officials said a campsite evacuated of 4,500 people would reopen, and elderly residents in another area could be allowed home if conditions improved.

Winds were pushing wildfires near Madrid southward, away from the capital for now, but also driving new evacuations in villages along their path. Olga Congacha, who fled Robledo de Chavela in the Madrid region, said, “Everyone had to get out of the village quickly — it was a critical situation and people were scared.” She said she and her husband left with important documents and some clothes.

One person was killed in the Valencia fire on Saturday, the only civilian death reported so far in the blazes.

Leaders respond as heat risk grows

French President Emmanuel Macron was due to hold a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday to discuss the emergency, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was set to visit a fire-hit area in Valencia, where firefighters were battling a new blaze.

Forecasters have warned that another heatwave could hit France from Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 40C in some places. Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather events of this kind more frequent and more intense.