Spain declared a national emergency over wildfires for the first time on Friday, while France requested European Union assistance to battle a major blaze on its Atlantic coast, as an intense heatwave drove destructive fires across southern Europe and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.The emergency declaration in Spain followed multiple uncontrolled fires around Madrid and in neighbouring Ávila province, prompting authorities to evacuate more than 10,000 residents from towns in the mountains west of the capital.The measure allows Spain’s interior ministry to take charge of coordinating firefighting operations nationwide.French authorities ordered the full evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist destination near Bordeaux, where around 40,000 people were forced to leave campsites, holiday homes and residential areas, with many evacuated by boat.
First wildfire emergency in Spain
Spanish officials said this was the first time the country had activated its highest level of emergency specifically for a wildfire. The same level had previously been used during a nationwide power blackout last year.More than 270 emergency personnel, 40 ground units and several contingents from Spain’s Military Emergency Unit have been deployed to the affected areas.In Navaluenga, one of the worst-hit towns in Ávila province, residents watched helicopters scoop water from the local river as smoke filled the air.“I’ve lived here for 36 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. Nor did I expect it. I thought they were going to get it under control last night, but it was already late, and it was all out of control,” resident Javier Martin told Reuters.According to the EU’s European Forest Fire Information Service (EFFIS), more than 350 fires have burned in Spain so far this year. About 1,300 square kilometres have already been destroyed, more than four times the area burned during the same period last year.Spain has also suffered its second-largest wildfire on record this year, which burned roughly 320 square kilometres in Guadalajara province north of Madrid.Earlier this month, 13 people were killed in a fire in southern Spain, the country’s deadliest wildfire in recent memory.
France asks EU for firefighting aircraft
The Cap Ferret fire has already burned about 8,700 hectares, or 87 square kilometres, making it one of France’s most serious blazes in recent years.President Emmanuel Macron announced that France had activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and requested additional firefighting resources from European partners.“France has requested the activation of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism,” Macron wrote on X, adding that specialist aircraft from several European countries were expected to arrive soon.The EU is sending two Croatian Canadair firefighting planes, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft and heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.The blaze has spread through pine forests near Bordeaux’s wine-growing region, turning the sky orange and filling nearby areas with smoke.Residents described hurried evacuations as flames approached homes.“The gendarmes came and knocked on every door, the fire was about 500 metres away — we grabbed some things and left,” Patrick Martineau, a resident of Le Porge, told news agency AFP.
Heatwave and climate concerns
Temperatures are expected to exceed 39°C in parts of southeastern Spain, with some areas forecast to reach 44°C.Smoke from the fires was reportedly noticeable in parts of Madrid on Friday morning.The crisis is part of a broader pattern of increasingly severe wildfires across southern Europe. EFFIS satellite data show that the total area burned across EU countries this year is already the second-largest on record.Europe is warming roughly twice as fast as the global average, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists say human-caused climate change is intensifying heatwaves and drought conditions, making the region more vulnerable to large, fast-moving fires.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the situation “dramatic” and renewed his appeal for a political pact to tackle climate change, saying the country must adapt to a future of more frequent and intense wildfires.The fires have also taken a heavy toll on emergency responders.Three firefighters have died during wildfire operations in southern Europe in recent days, including two who were killed while battling a blaze near Bordeaux airport earlier this week.
