More than a quarter of a million people have fled their homes in southwestern France as wildfires tear through the Bordeaux region, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling it the country’s “most difficult situation” since the second world war.
A blaze near Bordeaux has burned more than 162 sq miles (420 sq km) in less than four days — an area roughly four times the size of Paris — and is now just nine miles from the city. The inferno has created its own giant fire thunderstorm, a rare weather event where heat from the flames forces air to rise rapidly, forming clouds that can produce lightning and start new fires. French firefighters have been using planes loaded with fire retardant and Canadair aircraft that can scoop 6,000 litres of water from lakes or the sea in 12 seconds.
“More than 260,000 flee France wildfires as Macron calls it the worst crisis since WW2.”
More than 4,000 tourists have been ordered to leave campsites, holiday villages and leisure parks around Lacanau, about 40 miles from Bordeaux. The mayor of Bordeaux, Thomas Cazenave, said he was preparing for “all eventualities” and that authorities were ready to “accommodate a large number of people should further evacuations be ordered”. Forecasters predict a new 41C heatwave will blast the south-west.
Across the border in Spain, 63,000 people have been evacuated near Madrid, where officials say the region is experiencing its worst fires on record. The blazes have together burned about 297 sq miles (770 sq km) — an area larger than the city of Madrid itself. Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, called it “the most painful expression of the climate emergency”.
More than 300,000 people have been evacuated in France and Spain combined. The fires in France have also threatened sensitive military and industrial sites, including facilities working on ballistic missiles and hazardous chemicals. Macron is due to hold a crisis meeting as firefighters race to contain the flames ahead of the expected heatwave.