Macron calls crisis meeting as wildfires threaten Bordeaux and heatwave looms
Summary
French President Emmanuel Macron is holding a crisis meeting as wildfires near the city of Bordeaux, amid a heatwave that makes firefighting harder. In France and Spain, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated due to large and fast-moving fires that have damaged hundreds of thousands of hectares of land.Key Facts
- Wildfires are closing in on Bordeaux, about 15 km from the city center, with no evacuation planned for its 850,000 residents so far.
- More than 220,000 people have been evacuated in southwestern France because of the fires.
- The fire in the Gironde region is creating a rare and dangerous "pyrocumulonimbus" thunderstorm fueled by the fire itself.
- France has seen about 98,000 hectares burnt nationwide this year, with 42,000 hectares lost in the southwest alone.
- Spain is fighting wildfires near Valencia, forcing around 15,000 people to evacuate.
- The wildfire in the Ávila region of Spain is the largest in recent history and has led to more than 90,000 people being evacuated around Madrid and Ávila.
- Officials warn that temperatures could reach 40°C (104°F), which complicates efforts to control the fires.
- Spanish leaders have called for broad public support to address the climate emergency contributing to these disasters.
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