Live updates: Spain and France wildfires; thousands evacuated as firefighters battle to control flames
Massive wildfires in France's Gironde and Landes regions have forced the evacuation of 200,000 people. Thousands are currently being housed in temporary shelters in Bordeaux as firefighters struggle to contain the spreading flames.
Why it matters
The event underscores the increasing frequency and severity of climate-driven natural disasters in Europe and the logistical challenges of large-scale emergency management.
Link Copied! At a makeshift shelter in Bordeaux, people wonder when they'll return home By Melissa Bell and Pierre Bairin in Bordeaux, France A man evacuated due to the wildfires holds his dog as they shelter at the Parc des Expositions de Bordeaux, on July 25. Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images Two hundred thousand people have been evacuated from their homes in France’s Gironde and Landes regions as wildfires continue to burn out of control. Around 7,000 are being sheltered at a massive exhibition center in Bordeaux, which is itself shrouded in smoke carried into the city by shifting winds.
Many of those now sleeping on cots with their children and pets were woken in their homes west of Bordeaux in the early hours of Friday by emergency text alerts on their phones, telling them to evacuate immediately.
They have no prospect of returning home anytime soon.
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