More than 320,000 people have been forced to flee their homes across France and Spain as a series of wildfires continues to wreak havoc across parts of southern Europe.
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In southwestern France, 220,000 people have now been evacuated after a fire broke out in the Gironde department last Tuesday. The blaze has so far burnt around 42,000 hectares in the region.
Thousands of evacuees are now being housed in makeshift shelters in exhibition centres and sports halls across southwest France.
In an update on Monday, the Gironde prefecture said firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading overnight but that the situation remained “unfavourable.”
“Today, thanks to more favourable weather conditions, efforts are focused on treating the fire’s edges and creating tactical firebreaks, supported by aerial resources,” it said.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Monday that the “unprecedented” Gironde blaze was particularly difficult to control due to its “erratic behaviour.”
According to the Gironde prefecture, 2,750 firefighters are attempting to tackle the blaze with support from 1,500 soldiers and 1,440 police officers and gendarmes. 18 aerial firefighting assets are also in operation.
88 firefighters have been injured since the fire started, per local authorities.
On Monday, the Gironde region said it had taken the decision to ban summer camps for children, Scout camps, and holiday stays for people with disabilities, citing ” exceptional circumstances arising from the ongoing wildfires.”
Farmers have also been offering assistance to fire crews in southwestern France, providing water tanks and their knowledge of the local terrain to help emergency responders battle the flames, create firebreaks, and establish access routes.
“This allows firefighters to focus on the fire,” Theo Hernandez, a local wine grower, said. “It’s very strong, very virulent, it’s spreading everywhere.”
However, Sophie Brocas, the prefect of Gironde, has said authorities do “not want farmers taking individual initiatives.”
“Generosity is great, provided it is organised,” she said, adding that there was a “system in place” for farmers to work with firefighters.
Nuñez said on Monday that wildfires in France have burned through around 116,000 hectares this year.
Madrid flames slowly being contained
In Spain, some elderly evacuees who fled a town in the Madrid area are reportedly being allowed to return home on Monday as fire crews work to stabilise a blaze that has ravaged areas around the capital.
According to Spanish authorities, wildfires have affected more than 77,000 hectares across the Madrid area and the provinces of Ávila and Toledo.
Sara Aagesen, Spain’s Environment Minister, said on Sunday that the Ávila fire was the “largest in Spain’s recent history.”
Meanwhile, evacuations were also carried out on 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.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is due to visit areas hit by fires in the Valencia region.
“We still have some difficult hours ahead,” Sánchez said 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 the 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 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.”
It comes as Spain gears up for yet another heatwave this week, with parts of the country expected to hit 40ºC to 42ºC.
The national weather agency AEMET said the hot spell will increase the risk of fires to “extreme levels.”