LE PORGE: Fast-moving wildfires driven by intense heat and strong winds swept across parts of Italy, France and Spain on Thursday, killing three firefighters and forcing tens of thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
Southern Europe is experiencing another spell of extreme temperatures, with the mercury climbing above 40°C in several regions. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), the amount of land burned across European Union countries this year is already the second highest ever recorded.
Residents caught in the path of the fires described hurried evacuations as flames approached their homes.
“The gendarmes came and knocked on every door, the fire was about 500 metres away — we grabbed some things and left,” said Patrick Martineau, a 69-year-old resident of Le Porge near the French city of Bordeaux.
In Italy, nearly 6,000 firefighters, forest guards and civil protection personnel continued battling dozens of wildfires that have been burning across Sicily for several days. Authorities said one firefighter died after falling ill while responding to the blazes.
Officials said the fires were being intensified by extreme weather conditions.
Experts say the fires are “being fuelled by very high temperatures and very dry soil”.
More than 160 fires were also reported in Italy’s Calabria region. Local authorities alleged that arsonists had tied cloth soaked in flammable liquid to stray cats’ tails to spread the flames.
In southwestern France, more than 20,000 people, most of them tourists staying at campsites and holiday accommodations around Bordeaux, have been evacuated since Wednesday as a wildfire tore through a coastal pine forest.
Firefighter captain Wilfried Schneider said crews were battling a blaze of unusually high intensity in a dense pine forest.
“We’re dealing with a very dense stand of closely packed pines,” firefighter captain Wilfried Schneider said, describing a fire of “rare” intensity.
While no civilian deaths have been reported and authorities said firefighters had managed to contain one side of the blaze, two firefighters were killed on Tuesday while battling another wildfire near Bordeaux Airport.
Residents flee advancing flames
Holidaymakers described the chaotic evacuations as authorities rushed people to safety.
“We were on the beach and they told us to go back to the campsite to collect our things,” said Belgian tourist Elke Urbain, 50. “We’re not afraid because everyone is taking care of us, but we’re sad for the people here.”
Le Porge Mayor Martial Zaninetti said the fire may have been triggered by a brush-clearing machine, though police are still investigating the cause.
Smoke blanketed the skies above Le Porge, turning them orange as helicopters repeatedly dropped water over burning forests and evacuated neighbourhoods.
The same forest suffered devastating fires in 2022, when around 30,000 hectares were destroyed and approximately 50,000 people were forced to evacuate.
Scientists say climate change, driven by the continued burning of fossil fuels, is increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires, while a study released Thursday by the World Weather Attribution group found that drought conditions across Europe are becoming more severe.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Spain, emergency services said most residents evacuated from areas south of Madrid were allowed to return home after firefighters made significant progress in containing a major wildfire near Toledo. The blaze had prompted evacuations as flames advanced towards residential areas.
