French and Spanish authorities ordered mass evacuations Friday as wildfires swept through large swathes of both countries, forcing more than 220,000 people from their homes.
In France, officials said nearly 200,000 residents had fled the Gironde and Landes regions in the southwest, with another 60,000 evacuated near Bordeaux, BBC reports.
French President Emmanuel Macron mobilised military units to reinforce firefighting efforts as blazes intensified across the Atlantic coast.
Spain declared a national emergency after three fires west of Madrid merged into a single front, described by regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso as the “worst fire in the history of the region.”
Officials said the blaze was “beyond the capacity” of firefighters to contain, prompting the evacuation of 25,000 people and lockdown orders for nearly 40,000 more.
Emergency services reported flames advancing toward Robledo de Chavela and Fresnedillas de la Oliva, about 50km from Madrid.
The Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed to protect El Escorial and surrounding towns, while authorities monitored a separate fire in Ávila province that threatened to merge with the Madrid blaze.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande‑Marlaska said more than 60,000 people had been affected in the Madrid region, with 30,000 evacuated and 20,000 confined indoors. Local officials warned embers were traveling long distances, igniting new outbreaks.
At least 6,000 hectares have burned around Madrid and 9,000 in Ávila, with eight municipalities evacuated and several others under lockdown. Residents described terrifying scenes as flames leapt valleys in minutes.
“If you don’t run from it and you try to face it, it devours you,” said 86‑year‑old Ecologio Cabrera, who fled his village west of Madrid.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the situation “dramatic” and pledged to visit the emergency coordination centre Saturday. Authorities confirmed one arrest linked to suspected negligence in the Burgohondo fire.
The unfolding disaster has created a “perfect storm” of high temperatures, strong winds and merging fire fronts, leaving both France and Spain struggling to contain Europe’s latest climate‑driven emergency.
