Wildfires in Spain and France force evacuation of more than 267,000 people

More than 267,000 people have been forced from their homes by wildfires raging in France and Spain, which have claimed another life.

Spanish firefighters hoped to get control of a huge blaze near the capital Madrid on Saturday, but an official warned that erratic winds threatened to fan the flames further, as thick grey smoke filled the sky west of the city.
“We are going to have some complex hours ahead because although the temperatures have gone down, we do not know exactly how the wind will develop, how strong it will be.”

In France, authorities moved 197,000 people from areas around Bordeaux – including vacation spots crowded this time of year – in what was probably the biggest peacetime evacuation the country has seen, its interior minister said.

Bordeaux airport has been closed, and the government has warned against road or rail travel to the area.

Sophie Brocas, who heads the local administration of La Nouvelle-Aquitaine et ⁠de la Gironde, which covers the Bordeaux region, said the areas of Le Haillan, Eysines and Merignac were being cleared out.

The Bordeaux region is famed for its vineyards and the ‌city is one of the main transport hubs for tourists visiting nearby holiday resorts on the Atlantic coast.

Around 44,000 people fled the upmarket Cap Ferret peninsula south of Bordeaux, with the only road threatened by flames.

Boats moved hundreds of people away from the fires, while others drove off the peninsula, known for its millionaire residences. More than 50 houses there have been destroyed.