A road in Lege-Cap-Ferret in southwestern France is engulfed by an inferno late Thursday as a huge wildfire threatens the Cap Feret Peninsula, prompting authorities to evacuate tens of thousands of residents and holidaymakers. Photo by Damien Rembert/Gironde Department Fire and Rescue Service/EPA
Authorities in France’s southwestern Gironde region ordered tens of thousands of people to evacuate from the popular Cap Ferret peninsula vacation spot Friday in the face of an “XXL” wildfire threatening to cut off the promontory. As many as 2,000 escaped by boat.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 40,000 residents and tourists had been evacuated or were currently being moved from the cape, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Arcachon Bay to the east.
The fire has burned through at least 25,000 hectares after breaking out Wednesday in Saumos, a small town about 25 miles away to the northeast.
Authorities began evacuating of the town of Ares, south of Lege-Cap-Ferret on the Bay of Arcachon side of the peninsula after the fire picked up pace and intensity overnight, said fire and rescue chief Marc Vermeulen.
A local council member said 2,000 people had already made the 7.5-mile boat crossing to Arcachon on the southern side of the bay.
More than 800 firefighters from across France were battling the flames in an operation run out of a command center set up in a stadium in Le Porge, six miles northeast of Lege-Cap-Ferret.
Gironda Prefect Sophie Brocas said 53 homes and a campsite had been razed but that firefighters had managed to save 2,000 houses.
More than 23,000 people were also evacuated from homes, campsites, a nursing home and a summer camp due to another wildfire around Biscarrosse, about 15 miles south of Arcachon in the Landes department.
Landes prefect Gilles Clavreul said the fire was being fueled by a combination of winds of more than 30 mph and searing temperatures in the high 30s degrees Celsius.
Calling the situation very serious, President Emmanuel Macron said France had requested the European Union’s civil protection mechanism be activated, which would allow the deployment of firefighting aircraft from other members of the bloc.
“We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” he wrote in a post on X late Thursday night.
In Spain, authorities declared a national emergency Friday as they continued to battle three major wildfires west of Madrid in the areas of Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias, as well as Burgohondo in Avila province
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Friday that many communities across Spain and beyond were being impacted by fires “ravaging thousands of hectares.”
“The government has deployed all available resources to halt the terrible fires that are currently affecting numerous areas: Avila, Leon, Toledo, Madrid, and other parts of Spain. We are living through a dramatic situation, not only in various Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighboring countries. Forest fires are ravaging thousands of hectares and affecting numerous communities,” he wrote on X.
“The government will stand by your side during the emergency and in the recovery,” added Sanchez.
Historic July moments through the years
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Photo by NASA/UPI | License Photo
