Massive wildfires in south-western France and eastern Spain have led to the evacuation of over 330,000 individuals, with the French city of Bordeaux and its airport now under threat as flames approach.
In France’s Gironde department, where Bordeaux is situated, an estimated 220,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. Additionally, the airport hotel zone in Bordeaux has been cleared as a precautionary measure.
Challenges persist due to changing winds and dry conditions, hindering efforts to contain the extensive wildfire that has been burning uncontrollably since the previous week. The fire has created a rare “pyrocumulonimbus,” a large fire-induced storm capable of generating internal winds and lightning, as reported by the National Firefighters Federation of France.
Meanwhile, in Spain, wildfires are raging out of control near Madrid, prompting evacuations in the Valencia region. Approximately 15,000 individuals have been evacuated from Valencia, while over 90,000 have fled areas surrounding Madrid and Ávila. Tragically, a man lost his life in a wildfire in Manises, a suburb of Valencia, marking Spain’s first recorded fatality in the recent fires.
The Élysée Palace announced that a crisis meeting will be held to address the emergency situation. French President Emmanuel Macron will lead the meeting, overseeing the extensive deployment of emergency services nationwide.
Scheduled for 10am Paris time (9am BST) at the Ministry of the Interior, the meeting will include the participation of ministers responsible for the economy and trade.
Updates from the meeting will be provided as it progresses.
French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a crisis meeting this morning as wildfires spread towards Bordeaux(Image: Tschaen Eric/Pool/ABACA/Shutterstock)
The primary wildfire in south-western France is currently about nine miles away from the southern outskirts of Bordeaux, which is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in France.
Bordeaux’s Mayor Thomas Cazenave stated earlier that there were no immediate plans to evacuate the city’s population of approximately 850,000 residents.
The regional prefecture reported that an estimated 42,000 hectares have been consumed by the fires in Gironde, predominantly forests and dry vegetation worsened by consecutive heatwaves, an area four times the size of Paris.
President Macron expressed gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for showing solidarity with those impacted by the wildfires in France and Spain.
During his Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope addressed the devastating wildfires in France and Spain, urging
