Wildfires Devastate Spain and France, Evacuees Exceed 140,000

A western Madrid fire has split into a single, monstrous blaze that is “beyond capacity” for local firefighters, sparking a national emergency and forcing the evacuation of more than 30,000 houses. The blaze is moving toward Robledo de Chavela and Fresnedillas de la Olivia, about 50km from the capital, and a separate large fire in the Burgohondo valley threatens to merge, raising panic across the region.

In southwestern France, an “XXL” fire in the Gironde and Landes regions has scorched more than 19,000 hectares, destroyed 80 homes and lifted the entire Cap Ferret peninsula into crisis. Over 110,000 residents have been evacuated, and the fire is now heading toward Bordeaux, prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to mobilise military support and EU‑funded aircraft and helicopters.

Across the Mediterranean, the European Union has dispatched four aircraft and two Black‑Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia to augment firefighting teams in both countries, while Spanish authorities are monitoring a huge Avila blaze that has already burned nearly 9,000 hectares.

The fires are fed by record heat, winds up to 50km/h and prolonged drought, turning otherwise normal forests into tinder. Climate scientists warn that such wildfires are fast‑rising across Europe, with the continent now heating at twice the global average. The Italian press reports that the new blaze could add an extra 30 million euros in damages.

Echo from Evacuated Villages: “If you don’t run from it and you try to face it, it devours you.”