With another brutal heatwave bearing down on western Europe, France has ordered 4,000 additional evacuations as a massive wildfire threatens to flare again, while Spain’s prime minister struck a more hopeful tone, saying there was “light at the end of the tunnel” in his country’s battle.
Fire crews in both France and Spain are scrambling to rein in what authorities describe as the worst wildfires in living memory, bracing for a fourth heatwave of the summer that is expected to push temperatures back into scorching territory.
Across the two countries, flames have ripped through huge tracts of forest, burning homes and other properties and driving tens of thousands from their communities.
Marielle Mourgeon was among the roughly 4,000 people forced to abruptly end their holidays in the seaside village of Lacanau, near Bordeaux, after officials ordered the evacuation of camping sites as a precaution.
A Dash aircraft flies over the wildfire on the Camp de Souge military training ground, near the town of Martignas-sur-Jalle, Gironde
“At first I thought my husband was joking, with the blue sky and the fires dying down,” she said.
But meteorologists warn that the brief respite may not last. A fresh heatwave is expected to sweep western Europe this week, with oven-like temperatures returning to France and Spain from tomorrow.
On the Cap Ferret peninsula, French firefighters said they were pressing the attack. Commander Eric Pitault described crews as “on the offensive” as he stood on a firebreak roughly 50 metres wide and 25km long, carved out with help from civilian volunteers — while acknowledging exhaustion among his teams.
Light at tunnel’s end
In the Bordeaux area, the largest French wildfire since 1949 has burned for six days, forcing more than 220,000 people to flee and destroying 240 houses.
The prefect’s office reported that flare-ups overnight in the north of the peninsula had been brought under control and that the burned area had not expanded.
A wooden area engulfed in flames in Marcheprime, west of Bordeaux in France
In Spain, some of the most severe fires have been burning west of Madrid in rugged, mountainous terrain.
Even with the next heatwave looming, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, “we are indeed turning the tide, and we can begin to see light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against these fires”.
Fernando Casado, the mayor of Robledo de Chavela — a village at the northern edge of the flames — urged caution.
“It is true that at night it (the fire) is a sleeping kitten, but during the day it can be a mighty lion. The next few hours are crucial.”
At the eastern edge of the sprawling blaze outside Aldea del Fresno, evacuees waited in their cars, hoping for permission to return to their homes and check on pets.
They were among 60,000 people driven out by fires that have scorched 77,000 hectares in Spain — almost the size of New York City.
For the moment, however, the Guardia Civil gendarmerie continued to block their return, citing the danger of smoke inhalation.
Watch: Firefighters battle wildfire in Spain’s Castellon province
Galia Borisova, a 55-year-old domestic helper, said she was desperate to reach her animals in nearby Picadas but had to wait.
“They say there’s so much smoke that you can’t breathe, even with a mask. And I believe it, because you could see it from here,” she said.
‘Extreme conditions’
Europe has endured repeated heatwaves and a major drought this year — a pattern scientists have linked to human-caused climate change.
Relentless heat has baked the ground and dried vegetation that grew thickly during wetter, milder weather earlier in the year, leaving landscapes primed to burn.
Watch: Scorched aftermath of France’s wildfire fight in Bordeaux region
UN climate chief Simon Stiell said “the climate alarm is blaring from every direction” and urged a rapid end to fossil fuels.
And while attention has centred on western Europe, the EU’s crisis management chief warned that other parts of the continent could soon face similar threats, potentially stretching already strained firefighting resources.
“Extreme conditions are looming for Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, in addition to France, the Iberian Peninsula… where the situation is expected to worsen, including in Portugal starting today,” commissioner Hadja Lahbib said.
Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET said a new heatwave would begin tomorrow and last at least until the end of the week, with temperatures forecast to reach 42C in the northeast and 39C in the centre.
MeteoFrance also warned of more hot weather, with highs of up to 40C from today accompanied by dry winds.
Near the French surfing hotspot of Le Grand Crohot, strong gusts were seen driving ash and flames as firefighting aircraft tried to stamp out a reignited fire.
Firefighting commander Matthieu Jomain said the conditions now looked much like those at the start of the blaze.
“It’s evidence of the precariousness of the situation,” he told AFP as aircraft passed overhead.
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Read more:
‘Feels like an apocalypse’ – Irish woman on French wildfires
‘There’s ash everywhere,’ says Irish woman in Bordeaux
