French President Emmanuel Macron has described the wildfires in south-west France as the "biggest threat since World War II" and warned that the battle will be a lengthy one. During a visit to a command centre for the extensive firefighting operation, Macron was briefed on the unpredictable nature of the blaze, which has been raging since last week.
Massive firestorm forces 220,000 to flee
At times, the fire has morphed into a self-fuelling firestorm, consuming an area four times the size of Paris and forcing 220,000 residents to evacuate their homes. "We're facing a completely unprecedented fire," Macron declared, labelling the situation as France's most severe fire-related crisis since World War II.
He commended the firefighting teams who managed to halt the fire's advance on Monday after consecutive days of spreading flames. However, with woodlands still smouldering, he warned that the fight is far from over. "The weeks ahead will be hard," he admitted.
Heatwave threat and international aid
With thousands of firefighters deployed and aircraft continuously dropping water and retardants, the effort has become a race against time ahead of an anticipated heatwave that could exacerbate firefighting conditions. Regional authorities reported that the situation overnight into Monday had remained "globally stable" — a shift from previous days when officials warned that flames had edged to within 10 miles of Bordeaux's outskirts, a historic city home to 268,000 people, and sparked self-feeding firestorms with lightning bolts that ignited further fires.
Bordeaux resident Chris de Abrea told the BBC's Today programme he is leaving the city for Paris today. "[It] reminds me a little bit like Pompeii, especially over the weekend, the air was quite smokey, it was quite difficult to breathe. The smell of burning was pretty much all around the city," he says.
Precautions and evacuations
No additional evacuations were announced on Monday. However, as France prepares to enter its peak August tourist season, authorities in the Gironde region surrounding Bordeaux took measures to deter holidaymakers, imposing bans on holiday camps for children and individuals with disabilities. Crews utilising earth movers have been tearing up strips of forest and scrubland to create barren areas, aimed at halting the spread of fires. Farmers have been supporting fire crews by supplying water, transporting it in tanks.
Approximately a dozen countries have offered planes, helicopters, firefighters and other aid to both France and Spain, which is also grappling with unprecedented wildfires. In total, fires in the two nations have compelled over 330,000 people to evacuate.
Spain faces record fires and heat
In Spain, wildfires have raged uncontrollably around Madrid and in the Valencia region. Authorities evacuated 79,000 people and ordered 30,000 others to remain in their homes. "What we are experiencing is not a series of isolated incidents. It is the consequence of a climate emergency that is making wildfires even more violent, heat waves more frequent," stated Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
A blaze in the hilly, rural area of Avila, west of Madrid, has become Spain's largest recorded fire, charring 193 square miles, according to the government. That's five times the size of Barcelona. "Look at how the valley is burned. Look at the houses, the people," said David Gonzalez, a 48-year-old gardener who used his van to deliver supplies to firefighters in Avila. "We are feeling lot of anger and helplessness. It's something inhuman," he expressed.
Italy also battles wildfire
A wildfire fuelled by strong winds erupted on Sunday afternoon near Peschici, in Italy's southern Puglia region, incinerating pine forest and scrubland and leading to the evacuation of about 300 tourists from beaches and campgrounds, authorities reported. The Coast Guard evacuated holidaymakers by sea to nearby Vieste, where authorities set up temporary shelters. Three Canadair water-bombing aircraft and firefighters on the ground carried on battling the inferno on Monday, which brought back memories of catastrophic wildfires that struck the same coastal region in 2007.
