Over 220,000 evacuated in France as raging wildfires spread

Paris: More than 220,000 people have been evacuated from the Gironde department in southwestern France as devastating wildfires continue to spread, local prefecture authorities said on Sunday.

Late Saturday, Gironde authorities ordered the evacuation of an additional 55,000 residents on the outskirts of Bordeaux. The fires in Gironde have burned at least 42,000 hectares of land so far, Xinhua news agency reported.

The raging fires have also caused severe transport disruptions. French national railway operator SNCF announced on Sunday that rail traffic south of Bordeaux has been suspended until further notice, with services cut toward Arcachon and Morcenx at the request of the prefecture.

About 98,000 hectares of land have been burned by wildfires across France so far in 2026, setting a historical record for the country, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Saturday.

France had requested the activation of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism as wildfires continued to spread across the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday.

Meanwhile, Spain is enduring one of its most destructive wildfire seasons in recent years, with massive blazes sweeping through the Madrid region and neighbouring Avila, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate or remain indoors.

The fires have ravaged thousands of hectares across Spain, with the government declaring a national emergency.

Wildfires continued to burn across central Spain on Saturday.

Authorities warned that strong winds and low humidity continue to hamper firefighting efforts despite cooler overnight temperatures.

Madrid’s regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso described it as the “worst fire in the history of the region”.

According to the latest official figures, around 91,000 people have either been evacuated or ordered to stay indoors across the Madrid region, the province of Avila and parts of Toledo.

The fires have destroyed or damaged around 45,000 hectares in the neighbouring provinces of Madrid and Avila.

“The situation is complex,” Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Saturday, adding that it “has not been a positive day” for firefighting operations amid “extremely difficult” weather conditions.

IANS