Quarter of a million people flee homes in France and Spain as wildfires burn
Massive wildfires in France and Spain have forced the evacuation of over 250,000 people as authorities struggle to contain the blazes. Governments are deploying military support and specialized aircraft to combat the unprecedented fire conditions.
Why it matters
The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe highlight the escalating impact of climate change on public safety and infrastructure.
France is preparing to use a massive specially adapted cargo aircraft to dump flame retardants on a wildfire that has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
Including 70,000 people evacuated in central Spain, wildfires in southern Europe this week have displaced more than a quarter of a million people.
French interior minister Laurent Nunez said the A400M aircraft will join what is expected to be a "long and very difficult" battle against the blaze raging in the Gironde region of south-western France.
With winds expected to shift in a west-to-east direction on Saturday afternoon, potentially driving the fire closer to Bordeaux, fire crews and authorities were digging trenches, using retardants and taking other steps to block it, Mr Nunez said. He said the fire was about 20 miles west of the city.
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