More than 80,000 flee forest infernos in France and Spain
Massive wildfires in France and Spain have forced over 80,000 people to evacuate as extreme heat and drought conditions persist. Authorities are struggling to contain the blazes, which have already caused fatalities and significant property damage.
Why it matters
The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe highlight the escalating impact of climate change on public safety and infrastructure.
Europe's wildfire crisis forced more than 80,000 people to flee for safety Friday (European time), as holidaymakers boarded boats to escape fires on one French peninsula and Spanish officials ordered mass evacuations in towns near Madrid.
Both Spain and France called for European Union help as flames whipped up by strong winds and boosted by drought raced through tinder-dry forests.
France ordered the evacuation of 40,000 people on the upscale Cap Ferret peninsula south of Bordeaux.
As 27 boats brought hundreds of people away from the fires, those with cars took the only usable road off the peninsula, known for its millionaire residences.
Another 23,000 people have been ordered out of homes and campsites further south in the Landes region.
In Spain, more than 19,000 people have been evacuated or told to stay in their homes in towns in the Madrid region.
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