France battles fire ‘whirlwinds’ as another 55,000 evacuated
Another 55,000 people were evacuated from six French towns as devastating forest fires accelerated across the country.
The latest evacuations took place in towns in the Gironde region south of Bordeaux.
Last week, forest fires broke out across Europe, especially in France and Spain, and more than 330,000 people were evacuated.
France suffered one of the largest forest fires since the Second World War, burning 42,000 hectares. Approximately 98 thousand hectares of land have burned across the country since the beginning of the year.
Capt. Nicolas Braz, one of the leaders of the firefighting operation, said the fire had created “its own winds full of whirlwinds,” adding that the fire was “erratic and unmanageable.”
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Sunday that the situation in the region was “very negative” and that the forest fire was “moving erratically towards the Bordeaux metropolitan area.”
Dry vegetation and high winds are causing the fire to spread, and 60 km (37 mi) of the A63 motorway into Spain has been closed.
In an interview published by La Tribune on Sunday, Nunez said it “will take a long time to get the situation under control” and that there will be “no return” for evacuated residents and tourists until it is under control.
France mobilized its army to assist in the response, and extra reinforcements from the army were sent to assist firefighters by clearing bush and creating fire barriers.
President Emmanuel Macron said France will “rebuild” and his government “will be there as long as it is needed.”
Meanwhile, fires continue to spread in Spain and more than 90,000 people are being evacuated from the areas around Madrid and Ávila.
Evacuation orders were also issued for at least eight municipalities near Toledo late Saturday, but it was unclear how many people were involved.
Sunday is expected to bring high temperatures and low humidity, potentially causing the fire to spread further.
Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, described the situation as “the worst fire in the history of the region.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez admitted that “complicated times lie ahead.” Meanwhile, authorities in València confirmed that a man had died in the fire.
