Bordeaux, France, July 27 (ANI): Uncontrolled wildfires moved closer to the outskirts of Bordeaux on Sunday, spreading through France’s renowned wine-growing region as emergency crews in France and Spain battled to contain devastating blazes that have forced nearly 300,000 people to evacuate their homes.
According to France 24, around 220,000 people have been evacuated across France. In neighbouring Spain, more than 75,000 residents have been forced to flee, while another 30,000 people have been ordered to remain indoors as authorities respond to the growing wildfire threat.
French firefighters are working to prevent the flames from reaching Bordeaux’s metropolitan area after fires swept through the popular Atlantic coast tourist destination of the Cap Ferret peninsula and spread across surrounding areas, France 24 reported.
Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the main firefront was located approximately 15 kilometres from the city’s main entry points. While he earlier stated there were no immediate plans to evacuate the city, which has a metropolitan population of around 850,000, he acknowledged the seriousness of the situation.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the crisis as extremely serious, warning that the fire was moving toward the city area.
“We have a fire that is not under control and which is moving in the direction of the city area,” Nunez said, adding that the overall situation was “very unfavourable” and unprecedented.
French authorities released footage showing police officers carrying out overnight door-to-door evacuations in the municipalities of Marcheprime and Cestas, urging residents to leave their homes immediately, France 24 reported.
Meanwhile, cross-border firefighting efforts are intensifying in Spain, where Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited fire-affected areas in Avila, one of the three central provinces impacted along with Madrid and Toledo.
Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen said wildfires have destroyed more than 50,000 hectares of land in Avila alone, making it the largest wildfire recorded in Spain’s recent history.
France 24 also reported that a separate wildfire in Spain’s eastern Castellon province has burned more than 4,300 hectares and spread into the Sierra de Espadan natural park, threatening large areas of pine and cork oak forests.
“The fire is out of control, it’s very difficult to extinguish from a technical standpoint, especially because of the adverse weather conditions that will continue throughout the day,” Valencian regional leader Juanfran Perez told reporters near the affected area.
International assistance is being mobilised through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. Greece and Italy have each sent two Canadair firefighting aircraft to Spain, while Portugal has deployed more than 100 military personnel along with specialised equipment.
Spain’s Interior Ministry announced on X that two additional aircraft from Turkey are expected to arrive soon to support firefighting operations.
Prime Minister Sanchez said his government would officially declare a civil protection emergency on Tuesday for the affected central provinces and provide recovery assistance to impacted communities.
According to France 24, Sanchez said more than 150,000 hectares have been destroyed by wildfires across Spain since January, which is six times higher than the area affected during the same period last year. (ANI)
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