France continues to fight devastating wildfires, while progress is made in Spain
French authorities are coordinating efforts to combat massive wildfires that have forced over 250,000 evacuations in the Gironde region. Meanwhile, firefighting crews in Spain are making progress against several large blazes despite challenging wind conditions.
Why it matters
The fires represent a significant environmental and humanitarian crisis exacerbated by extreme weather conditions in Europe.
SEVILLE, Spain — French President Emmanuel Macron called a crisis meeting Monday to coordinate efforts to fight the wildfires in southern France that have forced the evacuation of more than 250,000 people.
The emergency session came as the active fire in the Gironde region of southwest France slowed down overnight into Monday, offering a first sign of relief after the flames burned more than 100,000 acres.
Europe France and Spain fires force more than 300,000 to flee homes The prefecture of Gironde said the situation overnight had remained stable, a welcomed change after the wildfire came close to the wine region city of Bordeaux over the weekend.
No new evacuations were ordered on Monday. Over 220,000 residents were evacuated in the region alone. But authorities took some precautionary steps, banning holiday camps for children, as Gironce is a popular tourist destination.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in