
9 days · 7 summary articles
Wildfires fueled by extreme heat and strong winds swept across western Europe on Friday, forcing thousands to evacuate in France, triggering a state of emergency in Spain's Madrid region, and prompting Paris to seek emergency assistance from the European Union.
In Spain, the government declared a state of emergency in the Madrid region and the nearby province of Ávila, allowing for more resources and military involvement in combating the fires. Around 10,000 people have been evacuated in the Madrid region due to the wildfires.
In France, over 20,000 people have been evacuated from the Atlantic coast, particularly in the Gironde region, where 4,800 hectares have burned. French President Emmanuel Macron has requested help from the European Union to combat the fires. The EU has responded by providing three water-bombing aircraft to France, according to EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib.
The wildfires have resulted in fatalities, including firefighters. In Italy, firefighters are battling scores of fires in Sicily and the Calabria region, where arsonists have been reported to start fires by tying rags soaked in flammable liquid to the tails of stray cats to spread the flames.
The situation remains critical, with high temperatures and strong winds fueling the fires. In France, around 800 firefighters, 260 vehicles, five water-bombing aircraft, and one helicopter are involved in the efforts to control the blazes.
French authorities have ordered thousands of tourists on the south-western Atlantic coast to leave campsites and holiday homes, as firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft raced to control the blazes. The total area of land burnt so far this year in EU countries is the second largest on record, according to satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
Three firefighters have been killed as southern Europe endures more severe heat, with temperatures topping 40C in some areas. France has invoked the European Union's civil protection mechanism to ask for help, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, warning that the crisis remained "very intense".
EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said on Thursday that the bloc was providing three water-bombing aircraft to France. Patrick Martineau, a 69-year-old resident of Le Porge, south of Bordeaux, said: "The gendarmes came and knocked on every door, the fire was about 500 metres away – we grabbed some things and left."
France's south-east was also being hard hit, with dozens of fires flaring up and being fanned by the mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac, with officials saying around 25 houses had been destroyed since Tuesday.
Thousands of emergency workers in Italy battled scores of fires in Sicily and the Calabria region, where a local official said arsonists had started fires by tying rags soaked in flammable liquid to the tails of stray cats to spread the flames. One firefighter died after falling ill while battling the flames in Sicily, the interior minister said.
The total area of land burnt so far this year in EU countries is the second largest on record, according to satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
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