Wildfires racing through southwestern France moved dangerously close to Bordeaux on Sunday, raising fears for one of the country’s most important urban and wine-producing regions, while authorities in France and Spain continued large-scale evacuations as multiple blazes remained out of control.
The emergency has displaced close to three lakh people across the two countries. French officials said evacuations have crossed 2.2 lakh, while more than 75,000 people have left their homes in Spain and another 30,000 have been told to remain indoors as firefighting operations intensify.
Wildfire reaches outskirts of Bordeaux
French authorities are trying to stop the flames from reaching Bordeaux after fires tore through the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular Atlantic coast destination, before spreading inland.
Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the main firefront was about 15 kilometres from the city’s main entry points. While there were no immediate plans to evacuate Bordeaux, whose wider metropolitan area has a population of around 8.5 lakh, he acknowledged the fire had moved closer.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned that the situation remained critical.
“We have a fire that is not under control and which is moving in the direction of the city area.”
“The overall situation is very unfavourable, we are in a situation that is unprecedented.”
He said authorities would continue assessing the situation as conditions evolved.
French authorities also released footage showing police officers carrying out overnight door-to-door evacuations in the municipalities of Marcheprime and Cestas, urging residents to leave immediately.
Spain battles multiple major wildfires
Spain is simultaneously fighting several major wildfires, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visiting affected areas in the central province of Avila, one of the country’s worst-hit regions alongside Madrid and Toledo.
According to Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen, more than 50,000 hectares have been destroyed in Avila alone, making it the country’s largest wildfire in recent history.
Another wildfire continues to burn unchecked in Castellon province in eastern Spain. The blaze has consumed more than 4,300 hectares and spread into the Sierra de Espadan natural park, threatening pine and cork oak forests.
Valencian regional leader Juanfran Perez described the challenge facing firefighters.
“The fire is out of control, it’s very difficult to extinguish from a technical standpoint, especially because of the adverse weather conditions that will continue throughout the day.”
European countries join firefighting efforts
Several European countries have joined the response through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism.
Greece and Italy have each sent two Canadair firefighting aircraft to Spain. Portugal has deployed more than 100 military personnel along with specialised equipment. Spain’s Interior Ministry said on X that two firefighting aircraft from Turkey are also expected to arrive shortly.
Prime Minister Sanchez said his government would formally declare a civil protection emergency on Tuesday for the affected central provinces, allowing recovery funds to be released.
He also said more than 1.5 lakh hectares have burned across Spain since January, six times the area destroyed during the same period last year, according to France 24.