French authorities have issued a mandatory evacuation order for the entire Cap Ferret peninsula as deadly wildfires persist in the south-west region. Tens of thousands of individuals are being evacuated from the upscale resort, with some fleeing by boat while firefighters battle widespread blazes in France’s Gironde area.
The fires have already consumed approximately 10,000 hectares of land, equivalent to one and a half times the size of Manhattan. President Emmanuel Macron has activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to request assistance, emphasizing the ongoing severity of the crisis.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), the total area burned in EU countries this year is the second largest on record. Meanwhile, Spain has declared a national emergency due to wildfires near Madrid.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that 40,000 people have been evacuated or are in the process of evacuating from the Cap Ferret peninsula. One visitor, Headmaster David Morton, recounted receiving an emergency evacuation alert in the middle of the night while staying in Petit Piquey with his family.
Evacuation efforts have saved around 2,000 houses in the face of the destruction of 53 homes and a campsite. Authorities initiated evacuations in Arès following rapid overnight fire spread, as another major fire near Biscarrosse led to the evacuation of over 23,000 individuals in France’s Landes region.
High temperatures reaching 37°C and strong winds have hindered firefighting efforts, with the Biscarrosse fire expected to continue burning past Friday. Despite the intensity of the fires, there have been no reported casualties in south-west France overnight, although two firefighters lost their lives earlier in the week near Bordeaux airport.
France has experienced an unprecedented number of wildfires this year, surpassing the annual average with over 300 recorded incidents, as reported by EFFIS.