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A raging wildfire in southwest France forced the evacuation of 55,000 people overnight on Sunday, bringing the total forced out of their homes to a staggering 220,000 in one region alone, as flames crept ever closer to the wine region city of Bordeaux.
Shifting and gusting winds, as well as arid conditions, complicated massive efforts to limit the spread of the blaze burning out of control since midweek in France’s Gironde region, where Bordeaux is located.
Authorities issued several evacuation orders overnight for at least five localities southwest of the historic city.
“The situation remains very unfavourable,” said French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez after what he described as “another difficult night” for fire crews battling round-the-clock against the blaze that has burned an area four times the size of the capital Paris.
“The fire became extremely virulent again and unpredictable, generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area,” Nunez posted on X.
“It became calmer by the end of the night,” the minister added.
An estimated 42,000 hectares had burned in Gironde, the region’s prefecture said, much of it forests and scrubland made tinder-dry by successive heatwaves. That is seven times the area of New York’s Manhattan island and four times the size of Paris.
Firefighters raced in trucks to fight flare-ups and planes dropping water and retardants rotated in the smoke-filled air. Farmers delivered water in tanks to fire crews so they could fight the flames without interruption.
“This allows firefighters to focus on the fire,” said Theo Hernandez, a local wine grower. “It’s very strong, very virulent, it’s spreading everywhere.”
The number of firefighters mobilised rose to 2,500, backed by 18 planes and helicopters aerially, including from other European nations. Soldiers have also been called in to assist teams on the ground, deploying an A400M military cargo aircraft dropping plumes of ochre-coloured retardant.
The Gironde prefecture said 75 firefighters were treated for injuries sustained in the extinguishing efforts, which have burnt through hundreds of homes.
Madrid flames slowly being contained
Meanwhile in Spain, wildfires burned out of control around Madrid. Evacuations were also carried out Sunday in the Valencia region. A man was killed Saturday in a wildfire in Manises, a Valencia suburb, marking Spain’s first recorded death in the latest fires.
“We still have some difficult hours ahead,” said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Sunday, adding that the night was “very positive in terms of bringing the flames under control.”
A total of 76,000 people have been evacuated in Iberian country while 30,000 others have been confined to their homes, the government said. Evacuees expressed concern about what they’ll find when they’re allowed to return to their residences.
“It looked like the apocalypse. You couldn’t see anything. Everything was covered in ash,” said Rocío Domínguez, who evacuated with her dog from Chapinería, west of the capital Madrid.
“We don’t know when we get to the town, if we’ll have half the house burned down or we’ll have it intact or we won’t have a house,” she said. “All the clothes, all the memories, everything.”
Additional sources • AP
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