Evacuations surge past 140,000 in France as wildfires spread across Southern Europe

The scale of evacuations in southwestern France has escalated rapidly as severe wildfires continue to rage across Southern Europe. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that the number of displaced residents in the Gironde department rose sharply on Friday, reaching 141,000 by late evening as government officials held crisis consultations.

Meanwhile, emergency operations continue in neighboring Spain, where around 60,000 people have been evacuated following a state of emergency declaration surrounding the capital of Madrid and the neighboring province of Ávila.

To combat the blazes, European Union member states are mobilizing international aerial firefighting support. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that water bombers and heavy helicopters dispatched from Croatia, Portugal, Czechia, and Slovakia are arriving to reinforce local emergency crews working near Bordeaux.

Sources: NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting), NRC.