Television personality Georgia Toffolo and her family departed the Cap Ferret peninsula in France by boat on Thursday, just hours before widespread evacuations were ordered due to encroaching wildfires.
Toffolo, 31, who was vacationing with her husband James Watt and his children, shared on Instagram that they had noticed the fires and smelled smoke, with ash falling around them. "James just said to me on Thursday, we had four children with us, he was just like I don't like it and we could smell stuff and there was little bits of ash falling," Toffolo stated. "We got everyone packed up and we left by boat because the road was closed on Thursday and stayed at the airport on Thursday night and our flights were already booked early on Friday morning."
They spent the night at the airport, fearing the escalating situation. Toffolo described the experience as "distressing" and expressed relief at their timely departure.
Wildfires Prompt Mass Evacuations
The fires, which began on Tuesday in Saumos, Gironde, have consumed approximately 10,000 hectares (nearly 25,000 acres) of land. The blazes have led to the evacuation of over 40,000 people from the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist destination on France's Atlantic coast, often compared to America's Hamptons. An additional 23,000 people were evacuated from Biscarrosse, south of Cap Ferret.
Authorities deployed boats to assist in the evacuation efforts, with many tourists fleeing the affected areas. The fires have also damaged luxury villas in the region. In total, around 63,000 people have been displaced by the fires in southwestern France.
Spain Also Battling Wildfires
In Spain, the government declared a state of emergency in the Madrid region due to wildfires that have forced the evacuation of over 10,000 people in recent days. Emergency services issued alerts for residents in Aldea del Fresno, west of Madrid, ordering immediate evacuation.
This marks the first time a state of emergency has been declared for a wildfire in the region. Eighteen firefighting units were engaged in containing a blaze near Toledo, in addition to another wildfire that necessitated the evacuation of several villages earlier in the week.