The Prince of Wales has described the wildfires tearing through the UK and Europe as a “stark reminder of the challenges posed by an increasingly extreme climate”, as more than 300,000 people have been evacuated from parts of France and Spain.
In a post on X, Prince William said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across France, Spain and the UK. We are deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency services and volunteers working tirelessly in extraordinarily difficult conditions.” His warning came as satellite imagery showed the scale of the blazes, with 42,000 hectares – more than the size of the Isle of Wight – already burned in the Gironde region around Bordeaux.
“Prince William says wildfires are a stark reminder of extreme climate as 300,000 evacuated, UK faces severe fire risk.”
Lieutenant-Colonel David Annotel of the National Federation of French Firefighters told French media that “this fire will last for many weeks, undoubtedly several months, before it can be extinguished”. More than 220,000 people have been evacuated from homes in the region, including British tourists and expats, while 88 firefighters have been injured since the fires broke out. French President Emmanuel Macron convened a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the flames no longer seemed to be moving towards Bordeaux itself but that response teams needed to “remain very concentrated”.
In Spain, interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the next couple of days would be “decisive” as fire crews battled from ground and air. Spain has seen its worst wildfires on record in the Madrid region, while France has experienced its worst fires in two decades.
Back in the UK, a major incident was declared at the weekend in the Cairngorms, while the Met Office warned that fires could be “exceptionally severe” by Wednesday in parts of London, the south east and east of England. On the Isle of Wight, campfire remains were found at the site of a fire that burned the equivalent of almost 13 football pitches and lasted almost five days. Two people had to be rescued after trying to film a wildfire in Wales with a drone. London Fire Brigade said it dealt with more than 1,300 incidents over the weekend, including grass fires, property fires and rescuing a person from the Thames.
Temperatures are expected to rise again later this week, with a fourth heatwave of the year looming for some areas. Amber heat health alerts have been issued for much of eastern England. Climate change is driving the trend: Europe is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average according to the Copernicus climate service, causing more intense heatwaves and wildfires.
