Wildfires in France and Spain force evacuation of over 200,000 people
More than 200,000 residents have been displaced as massive fires sweep southwestern France and parts of Spain, killing at least one person.
Wildfires across France and Spain have compelled the evacuation of more than 200,000 people, officials said. In France, Prime Minister S\u00e9bastien Lecornu reported that over 167,000 residents had been moved as roughly 30 fires burned simultaneously, with the most severe blazes occurring in the Gironde and Landes departments in the southwest.
President Emmanuel Macron noted on social media that the Gironde fire near Bordeaux remained uncontained, and Interior Minister Laurent Nu\u00e9z said the country has burned more than 242,000 acres this year, a record level.
"The situation remains particularly critical in the Gironde department. The abrupt change in weather conditions yesterday has profoundly altered the fire's dynamics," Lecornu wrote, adding that forecasts remain unfavorable.
The emergency has also impacted the Tour de France, whose final stage route was shortened after police were redeployed to assist firefighting efforts.
In Spain, at least one fatality was confirmed in the town of Manises, Valencia. The Interior Ministry reported that around 60,000 people were evacuated from the Madrid and Ávila regions, with additional thousands confined to shelters. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska declared a national state of emergency in response to the blazes.
Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez said the government is working to provide shelter for those who have been evacuated or confined because of the fires.