Spain and France wildfires force about 330,000 people to flee
Extreme heat is feeding fires in Spain and southwest France, where NPR reports mass evacuations and broad damage near Bordeaux and Madrid.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Spain France wildfires have driven about 330,000 people from homes and holiday sites as flames spread across Spain and southwestern France, NPR reported. The fires matter beyond the immediate evacuations because scientists cited by NPR say extreme heat is helping some blazes become harder to fight.
NPR reported that the fires are among Europe’s worst of the summer, affecting parts of the Iberian Peninsula and France’s Atlantic coast. In France, the Gironde region near Bordeaux has been hit especially hard, while fires in Spain have damaged areas in and around Madrid and Ávila provinces, according to NPR’s photo reporting.
Why are Spain and France wildfires so hard to control?
Extreme heat is feeding the fires in Gironde and in affected parts of Spain, NPR reported. Scientists cited by NPR say some fires are generating their own weather systems, which can make fire behavior less predictable and firefighting more difficult.
Jean-Baptiste Filippi, a fire-weather expert at France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, told NPR: “You cannot stop a storm, so you will not stop a firestorm.” A firestorm is a fire intense enough to create powerful wind and heat patterns around itself, allowing flames and embers to move in ways that can overwhelm normal containment efforts.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service says Europe is warming at more than twice the global average and is the fastest-warming continent, according to NPR. NPR linked that warming trend to more frequent and intense fire seasons across Europe.
Where is the damage concentrated?
In France, NPR reported that the Gironde wildfire alone has burned an area equal to four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people to leave. Photos distributed by AFP and Getty Images showed a painting company’s building destroyed in a Biscarrosse business park on July 28, along with burned premises and vehicles in the same southwestern French community.
Associated Press photos cited by NPR showed firefighters working near Le Las outside Bordeaux on July 27 and a group using a firehose near Lacanau. Another image from Biscarrosse showed a “Thank you” placard on a house wall, described by Getty Images as a message of gratitude to firefighters during a wildfire in the Landes region.
In Spain, NPR’s photo coverage documented damage in several locations. AP photos showed a member of Spain’s Forest Fire Reinforcement Brigades resting with teammates in Sotillo de Adrada in Ávila province on July 28, while firefighters used controlled burning near Cebreros as a wildfire continued to spread.
Near Madrid, AFP and AP photos showed damage around Pelayos de la Presa and the San Juan Reservoir. NPR reported images of charred pedal boats at the reservoir, a destroyed house and belongings near Pelayos de la Presa, and burned campsite bungalows in the same area.
What have officials said about climate risk?
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the fires show the danger posed by the climate emergency, according to remarks cited by NPR. “The evidence is clear: the climate emergency kills,” Sánchez said, adding that Spain must address root causes, anticipate impacts and prepare better to protect lives.
NPR reported that the devastation in Spain and France is altering communities and local environments as firefighters continue to confront active blazes. The reported evacuation figures show the scale of the emergency on both sides of the border, with France’s Gironde accounting for most of those displaced.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.