Tens of thousands of people were urged to evacuate as forest fires continued to tear through Spain, France, and DW. Brutal heat has torched southern Europe, forcing about 30,000 people to flee wildfires in France and Spain as a marine heatwave scales the Mediterranean. Wildfires raged across Sicily, southwestern France, and central Spain, claiming the lives of three firefighters and prompting widespread evacuations, according to France 24. Two firefighters died on Tuesday while tackling a blaze that broke out near Bordeaux airport, and another two firefighters were reported killed battling a fire in southwestern France according to Reuters.
Tens of Thousands Evacuate Amid Severe Wildfires in France and Spain
Emergency Declarations and Military Deployment in Spain
Spain declared a national emergency in the Madrid region and in the province of Avila, near the capital, to better tackle several out-of-control wildfires. The measure aims to speed up the deployment of resources to fight blazes that have forced about 10,000 people in the region to evacuate, transferring the crisis response to the military emergency unit of the Spanish Armed Forces. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted on X that the government deployed every available resource to stop terrible fires affecting Avila, Leon, Toledo, Madrid, and other areas. Sanchez also visited a fire-ravaged area in Guadalajara, where more than 30 villages were evacuated, stating that climate change destroys wealth in communities. In Spain’s central Guadalajara province, a forest blaze raged uncontrolled for a sixth day, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,200 people. Extreme highs of 44.7°C were recorded in Cieza, in the Spanish province of Murcia, according to Aemet, the Spanish meteorological agency.
France Invokes EU Civil Protection Mechanism
Across the border, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France invoked the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to ask for help tackling forest fires. Support was expected soon from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractors, and two heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A particularly intense wildfire on France’s southwestern Atlantic coast prompted the evacuation of more than 18,800 people, including thousands of tourists from campsites and holiday homes. Authorities evacuated 7,000 people as a precaution north of Cap Ferret near Arcachon Bay, bringing total evacuees in the area to 12,000. The fire began in a dense pine forest near the village of Saumos about 40km west of Bordeaux, with firefighters defending homes “house by house” against flames reaching 10 meters high.
Fires and Arson Allegations in Italy
In Italy, around 6,000 firefighters, forest guards, and civil protection officials were deployed across Sicily after fires raged for days. Regional president Renato Schifani stated that about 50 fires were still burning despite water-bombing aircraft deployments. On the Italian mainland in Calabria, more than 160 fires were recorded, with local officials accusing malicious individuals of arson after finding rags doused in flammable liquid tied to the tails of stray cats to spread fires.
