Firefighters are battling fast-moving wildfires near Bordeaux as tens of thousands of people have been evacuated across parts of France and Spain amid extreme heat, dry vegetation and strong winds.
French authorities said the fire in the Gironde region was moving unpredictably towards the Bordeaux metropolitan area. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the blaze was around 15 kilometres from the wider outskirts of the city and between 25 and 30 kilometres from the centre, while playing down the immediate prospect of an evacuation of Bordeaux itself.
Around 55,000 people were evacuated overnight from villages south of the city in the Gironde region, which is known for its vineyards.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the situation remained “very unfavourable” as the fire continued to move erratically.
Captain Nicolas Braz, one of the senior officers leading the firefighting operation, said the blaze had created its own weather conditions, including whirlwinds, making it difficult to predict and control.
Around 2,500 firefighters, including a team from Switzerland, were involved in the operation in Gironde. They were supported by 1,500 military personnel and almost 1,200 police officers and gendarmes carrying out evacuations and security operations.
Dry vegetation and strong winds have helped the flames spread. A 60-kilometre section of the A63 motorway, a major route towards Spain, has been closed.
The emergency response has also affected the Tour de France. The final stage in Paris on Sunday was shortened from 133 kilometres to 89 kilometres to allow security forces to be redeployed to wildfire operations.
President Emmanuel Macron said France would rebuild areas affected by the fires and promised that the government would continue supporting communities for as long as necessary.
France has been the worst affected country in the latest wave of wildfires, with around 42,000 hectares burned in the current fires. About 98,000 hectares have burned across the country since the beginning of the year. More than 220,000 people have been evacuated in southwestern France.
Spain has also faced a major wildfire emergency, with more than 90,000 people evacuated from areas around Madrid and Ávila. A new fire front opened near Valencia, where regional authorities warned that conditions could deteriorate as temperatures rise and humidity falls.
Valencia regional President Juanfran Pérez Llorca said one fire had grown beyond the region’s ability to extinguish it. A civilian was killed in a separate fire in the region on Saturday.
At least two firefighters have died while battling the blaze near Bordeaux.
In central Spain, at least eight municipalities near Toledo were ordered to evacuate. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said difficult hours lay ahead but reported some signs that firefighters were making progress.
Madrid regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso described the fires as the worst in the region’s history.
