Get you up to speed: ‘Apocalyptic’ wildfire forces total evacuation of French holiday spot Cap Ferret | News World
Wildfires in France and Spain have forced over 80,000 people to evacuate their homes, with significant evacuations occurring on France’s Atlantic coast, particularly at the Cap Ferret peninsula. In France, 63,000 individuals have been evacuated, while in Spain, more than 10,000 people fled from towns near Madrid due to raging fires.
Authorities have deployed hundreds of firefighters, with additional reinforcements arriving on Friday to combat the blazes, which remain uncontained due to strong winds. Both France and Spain have requested EU assistance, with France set to receive various firefighting aircraft and helicopters from member states.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will receive European Union reinforcements, including firefighting aircraft and helicopters from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, to combat the wildfires. In Spain, where over 10,000 people have been evacuated, the national government declared a state of emergency in the Madrid region and neighbouring Avila province to enhance coordination in firefighting efforts.
What remains unclear — It is not clear how many firefighters are currently deployed across both France and Spain to combat the wildfires.
Wildfire triggers complete evacuation in Cap Ferret, France, as smoke spreads
More than 80,000 people have had to flee their homes because of ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires burning across France and Spain.
Some even fled by boat when flames swept through the touristic Cap Ferret peninsula on France’s Atlantic coast.
Authorities ordered the total evacuation of the peninsula, a tourism hotspot busy for the summer season, as smoke and flames drew closer to homes.
Around 63,000 people were evacuated from the area, with both France and Spain asking fellow European Union members for help in dealing with the fires.
Laurent Moretti, a resident in the town of Arès, said: ‘It’s quite impressive and even frightening.
‘An evacuation on this scale has never happened before. All we really hope is that the firefighters can quickly get it under control.’
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A couple sit on a beach in Lacanau, south west France, in the shadow of wildfire smoke (Picture: Getty)
Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed and additional ground and aerial reinforcements were sent Friday to tackle the blaze. Meanwhile, another major wildfire burned further south down the coast. It remained uncontained as strong winds did not help firefighters.
Authorities believe the cause of both fires was accidental.
France’s Interior minister Laurent Nunez said 40,000 people have been evacuated in the Gironde department, and 23,000 in the Landes.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France will receive EU reinforcements including two Croatian Canadair firefighting aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, and two heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Aerial view of the wildfire spreading toward Lege-Cap-Ferret, in Gironde (Picture: First Eye/ABACA/Shutterstock)
A firefighter suffered an open fracture after a gas cylinder exploded (Picture: Duprat Stephane/ABACA/Shutterstock)
Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.
In Spain, more than 10,000 people were evacuated from towns in the mountains west of the capital, Madrid, as firefighters sought to prevent three fires in the region and neighboring Avila province from joining, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said.
A firefighter stands near flames during a wildfire in Lege-Cap-Ferret (Picture: Reuters)
The area, where many residents from the capital have second homes, is densely populated.
That played a role in the government decision to declare a national emergency, allowing it to better coordinate the response, Grande-Marlaska said, adding that the aggressive nature of the fires and hot, windy weather also prompted the move.
It was the first time such a measure has been taken due to a wildfire.
Satellite imagery shows burned areas and smoke rising from a wildfire, near Le Porge, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France (Picture: Reuters)
Video grab showing a huge column of smoke from wildfires southwest of Madrid (Picture: AFP via Getty)
The last time Spain declared the same level of emergency alert was during a massive nationwide power blackout last year.
Spain has also sought assistance from the EU, the Interior Ministry said.
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