Wildfires erupted fiercely in southwestern France and the area near Madrid, Spain on July 25.
France had to evacuate about 197,000 people from the city of Bordeaux, including many tourists staying at tourist destinations. This is considered one of the largest evacuations in peacetime in France, according to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.
In Spain, about 60,000 people were evacuated from many villages in western Madrid. Previously, Madrid authorities announced a higher estimate, about 70,000 people had been evacuated.
When visiting areas affected by forest fires, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez emphasized that the top priority at this time is to protect people's lives.
A fire near Valencia, Spain has killed at least 1 person. Mayor of Brunete town in western Madrid, Ms. Mar Nicolas, shared: "There are forest fires every year, but this time it is unbelievably devastating.
According to AFP, firefighters in France and Spain are overloaded as they have been constantly fighting for days and nights. Two firefighters in France died this week while on duty near Bordeaux.
Wildfires in Spain and France spread rapidly due to weather conditions that are prone to catching fire. This risk is even more serious as consecutive heat waves have been recorded in these two countries since May.
Scientists warn that climate change is making Europe the continent with the fastest temperature increase in the world. Faced with the critical situation, the European Union (EU) has provided firefighting aircraft to both France and Spain.
In France alone, 1,500 soldiers are participating in the fire near Bordeaux. On July 25, A400M military transport aircraft discharged 20 tons of fire extinguishers, supporting a smaller fleet of aircraft trying to control forest fires.
According to the head of the Paris police force, 100 additional members of the fire fighting force in the capital have been deployed to the southwest to support forest firefighting. Previously, 45 members of the Paris fire fighting force, along with 6 vehicles, were deployed in this area.
A series of schools, stadiums and exhibition centers in southwestern France are requisitioned as emergency shelters for thousands of people, including tourists and locals.
Due to the impact of wildfires, the Tour de France cycling race had to shorten the final stage to transfer security forces supporting the race to support firefighting.
The scale of the fires in France and Spain is recorded through satellite images, with huge columns of smoke starting to blend together in the atmosphere, according to satellite images from the Spanish weather agency Aemet.
In France, wildfires have affected an area of nearly 98,000 hectares, a "historical record". In southwestern France alone, more than 32,000 hectares (3 times the area of Paris) have been affected by wildfires, with at least 100 structures destroyed.
In Spain, 2 out of 3 major fires have merged into one and are waiting to merge with the other fire, threatening to create a huge fire just a few kilometers from Madrid.
