Over 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as wildfires rage throughout France and Spain. While officials in Madrid, the capital of Spain, claim that the fires are the worst the region has ever seen, France has witnessed its worst in twenty years. It comes after a scorching summer that saw temperatures climb above 40C (104F) in several parts of Europe due to heatwaves.
Authorities believe that several wildfires in the areas outside of Madrid have burned an area greater than Madrid itself, totaling around 297 square miles (770 square kilometers). Over 200,000 people have been displaced from their homes in Gironde, the region surrounding Bordeaux, which is the most severely hit in France. In less than four days, the fire has burned over 162 square miles (420 square kilometers), an area around four times the size of Paris. The fire has expanded quickly, tearing across fields and forests in France’s renowned wine region.
The distance from Bordeaux’s south is now only nine miles (15 km). Numerous important military and industrial locations in the region, such as those involved in the production of French ballistic missiles, rocket motors, and hazardous chemical processing, have also been put in danger by the fires. Large tracts of burned, scorched ground may be seen on satellite photography above Gironde, with smoke moving eastward inland.
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