France evacuates thousands as fires displace a third of a million in southwest Europe
French authorities have expanded evacuation orders for thousands of people along the Atlantic coast due to persistent and dangerous wildfires. While some residents in surrounding areas are being allowed to return, the situation remains precarious as Spain also battles its largest heat wave and wildfire season on record.
Why it matters
The increasing frequency and scale of climate-driven disasters pose significant challenges to public safety and emergency management infrastructure.
LEGE-CAP FERRET, France — French authorities ordered 4,000 more people evacuated from tourist sites along its Atlantic coast on Tuesday, widening what may be France's largest peacetime evacuation as returning heat threatened firefighters' fragile hold on a vast wildfire west of Bordeaux.
Fresh flames erupted later Tuesday near Grand Crohot, a popular Atlantic beach on the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula, local authorities said. A fleet of 23 planes and helicopters — up from 18 — dropped water and fire retardant as crews fought to keep the renewed flames from spreading.
"The situation remains complicated. That's clear. We're not out of the woods," Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said.
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