France and Spain Battle Severe Wildfires, Thousands Evacuated

LEGE-CAP FERRET, France — France is set to use a specially adapted cargo aircraft to release flame retardants on a wildfire. This fire has forced tens of thousands to evacuate, including from suburbs of Bordeaux, a city known for its wine region. Alongside Spain, where around 70,000 people have been displaced, over a quarter-million individuals in southern Europe have been affected by wildfires this week.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced the deployment of an A400M aircraft, describing the battle against the fire in the Gironde region of southwestern France as “long and very difficult.” As winds are predicted to shift west to east, potentially moving the fire closer to Bordeaux, efforts are underway to dig trenches, use retardants, and implement other measures to halt its progress. The fire is reportedly about 20 miles west of Bordeaux.

To aid in the efforts, the government has brought in soldiers and is distributing 1.5 million face masks to protect people from the smoke. People living between the fire and Bordeaux have been ordered to evacuate, including residents from parts of the city’s western suburbs.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the fires as unprecedented in scale and noted that the Gironde blaze is generating its own winds. He emphasized that the top priority is human safety, urging everyone to respect evacuation orders immediately. Firefighting teams are reinforced with additional soldiers and breathable masks are being provided to those exposed to hazardous fumes.

The wildfire’s intensity, driven by high temperatures and the lingering impacts of climate change, took crews by surprise in both France and Spain. In Spain, fires spread so swiftly that tackling them directly was impossible. In some French towns, people fled by boat as flames reached coastal tourist areas. Although dozens of French firefighters suffered injuries, no fatalities have been reported in either country despite signs of panic as residents evacuated by car and police evacuated homes.

This year, Europe has been hit with early and intense heat waves, setting record high temperatures that have transformed forests into tinderboxes. Spain has already seen 130,000 hectares of forest burned in 2021, an increase from the annual average of 100,000 hectares over the last decade, according to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. During a visit to a command post near Madrid, he pointed out favorable weather provided a “window of opportunity” for controlling the fires, as winds and temperatures dropped.

Assistance from other European countries is ongoing. Italy provided two Canadair water-dumping planes for Spain. Spain’s Civil Protection Service also expects additional planes from Greece, joining aircraft from the Netherlands and Portugal. France anticipates the arrival of water-bombers from Croatia and additional helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Sophie Brocas, the prefect of the Gironde region, stated on Friday night that westerly winds are moving the fire closer to the Bordeaux metropolitan area, reaching “an unprecedented magnitude.” Evacuations include Bordeaux’s western suburbs, such as Le Haillan and parts of Eysines and Mérignac. Although Bordeaux’s airport remains open, its bus and tram services are suspended. Alerts sent to mobile phones instructed people to evacuate swiftly.

Brocas stressed the importance of fast action to ensure safety, saying, “We want everyone to be quickly brought to safety. We must act quickly together.” The Gironde blaze began on Wednesday near the Cap Ferret peninsula, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Bordeaux. Resident Laurent Moretti from Arès described the evacuation as “quite impressive and even frightening,” expressing hope that firefighters would soon control the fire.