More than 130,000 people have been evacuated across Spain and France, according to each country’s latest figures.
Local officials report containing wildfires near Madrid is “beyond the capacity” of firefighters, a local official says.
Emergency officials across both nations describe a “perfect storm” driven by consecutive heatwaves, low humidity, and unpredictable, changing winds.
Carlos Novillo warns fires are moving towards the municipalities of Robledo de Chavela and Fresnedillas de la Oliva-a few dozen kilometers from the Spanish capital’s western outskirts.
National emergency declared in Spain:
The Spanish government has declared a national emergency, with Madrid’s regional president Isabel DÃaz Ayuso saying this is “the worst fire in the history of the region.”
The government activated an emergency to centralize firefighting efforts under the Interior Ministry as three major fire fronts merged west of Madrid near Robledo de Chavela and Fresnedillas de la Oliva.
Mass evacuations in France:
Thousands of people escaped the Cap Ferret peninsula-a popular tourist spot in France as firefighters battled what was described as an “XXL fire” in the Gironde region.
Emergency services deployed boat shuttles along the Cap Ferret peninsula to evacuate stranded beachgoers.
As reported, over 60,000 residents and summer tourists fled coastal regions in southwestern France’s Gironde and Landes departments.
EU reinforcements deployed:
France and Spain formally requested European Union assistance, prompting water-bombing aircraft and heavy-lift helicopters to be deployed from Italy, Greece, Portugal, Croatia, and the Czech Republic.
The situation got intensified after three back-to-back heatwaves in Europe-the world’s fastest warming continent, have exacerbated fire danger in recent weeks.
