France Spain wildfires force crisis talks as heat wave nears
France kept battling a major Gironde fire while Spain reported gains against blazes near Madrid and Ávila before another heat wave.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
France Spain wildfires remained a major emergency Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling a crisis meeting as crews fought a large blaze in the southwest. NPR reported that the fires across the two countries have forced more than 300,000 people from their homes.
The most urgent concern in France was in Gironde, where more than 220,000 residents have been evacuated in that region alone, according to NPR. The Gironde prefecture said conditions were stable overnight into Monday, after flames had moved close to the Bordeaux wine area over the weekend.
What is the latest on the France and Spain wildfires?
In France, the Gironde fire was still active but had slowed overnight, NPR reported. The blaze has burned more than 100,000 acres, and officials ordered no new evacuations on Monday.
Authorities still took preventive action in Gironde, including a ban on children’s holiday camps, NPR reported. The area is a major tourist destination, and firefighters were trying to gain ground before higher temperatures forecast for the week could make suppression work harder.
Macron said in a weekend social media post that the French government would support affected communities over the long term, writing that France would rebuild, repair and remain present as long as needed.
In Spain, crews had made progress on two major central-region fires after a difficult Saturday, when officials said the blazes were not contained, NPR reported. By Sunday, authorities said the fires in the Madrid region and in Ávila had been brought under control.
The Madrid-area fire, near Pelayos de la Presa west of the capital, had burned more than 60,000 acres and was still active Monday, according to NPR. Firefighters were working to keep it contained while strong wind gusts complicated their efforts.
The nearby Ávila fire has burned more than 100,000 acres, NPR reported. A third major fire in eastern Spain’s Castellón region was also still active, though it had slowed; authorities said it had affected about 75,000 people, including some evacuees and others told to stay at their properties.
Spain’s national weather agency, Aemet, forecast the country’s fourth heat wave of the summer to begin Wednesday. NPR reported that authorities were racing to contain the remaining fires before conditions worsened, and Aemet said this summer is on track to be Spain’s hottest on record.
Heat waves can worsen wildfire conditions by drying vegetation and making fires harder to control, especially when wind is also a factor. Scientists have warned that climate change driven by fossil fuel use can make droughts longer and more intense, creating conditions that favor wildfires, NPR reported.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Saturday that more than 242,000 acres have burned in France this year, a record. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the same day that fires had burned more than 300,000 acres in Spain this year, above the country’s annual average of 250,000 acres over the past decade, NPR reported.
The fires also disrupted the Tour de France, which ended Sunday. Race organizers said the final stage was shortened because police and security resources were redirected to the wildfire response.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.