A man has died in Spain, marking the first fatality attributed to the wildfires currently scorching parts of Europe, as over 270,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. The man was discovered in a car in a ravine in Manises, near Valencia, following a forest fire in the region.
Spain's capital, Madrid, is experiencing smoke and ash from large wildfires to the west, prompting the government to declare a national emergency. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned of "complex hours ahead" as two blazes in Spain risk merging. In France, the military has been deployed to aid firefighting efforts as infernos in the southwestern region have led to evacuations by boat.
France is undertaking an "unprecedentedly large-scale response," with an additional 1,500 military personnel set to join the 500 already deployed. This move follows a crisis meeting at the armed forces headquarters in Paris. An A400M military transport aircraft will assist 18 other water- and retardant-dropping planes and helicopters in what is anticipated to be a "long and very difficult" battle against the blaze in the Gironde.
Fire crews in France are digging trenches and using retardants in an attempt to block the fire, which is located about 30 kilometers west of Bordeaux. The government is also deploying 1.5 million face masks to protect against smoke. Evacuation orders have been issued for areas between the fire and Bordeaux, including parts of the city's western suburbs and surrounding towns and villages. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the fires as unprecedented, noting that the Gironde blaze generated its own winds on Friday. The military transport aircraft has demonstrated its capacity by dropping 20 tons of water, roughly three times the capacity of standard Canadair planes.
In southwestern France, approximately 197,000 people have been evacuated due to a blaze approaching Bordeaux. This fire has led to the rare phenomenon of a pyrocumulonimbus, a thunderstorm generated by a large fire, which has not been previously observed in the country. Meanwhile, in Spain, at least 70,000 people have evacuated, with an additional 20,000 advised to remain indoors. A fire nearing the capital is reportedly at its peak and at risk of merging with a second fire, a development an official described as "very bad news."
The skies over Madrid have been obscured by a haze of brown-grey smoke, and thick black ash has coated surfaces in the city center. Public facilities in Villaviciosa have been opened to shelter evacuees, many of whom have managed to save only essential belongings and pets. In Bordeaux, France, a large exhibition hall has been converted into a temporary shelter, accommodating thousands of displaced residents.
The intensity of the fires in France and Spain, exacerbated by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change, has overwhelmed fire crews. In France, some residents fled by boat from coastal towns. The European Union is also contributing to firefighting efforts, deploying seven planes to the affected countries.
The final stage of the Tour de France has been shortened from 133km to 89km due to the fires, with security forces being redeployed to assist in combating the blazes. The fire in France has so far destroyed 40,000 hectares of land, and the deployment of 1,500 soldiers aims to bolster firefighter numbers.
Average temperatures across the broader Aquitaine region in France have reached 32.2 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) this month, significantly above the 1961-1990 July average. Mass evacuations have also occurred in Cap Ferret, southwestern France, where wildfires have consumed thousands of hectares of forest and damaged luxury villas.