‘Everything is out of control’: Spain declares first bushfire emergency as fires rage across Europe; More than 10,000 people were evacuated

Spain declared a national bushfire emergency for the first time on Friday, while France asked for European Union help in fighting a major blaze on its Atlantic coast, as a severe heatwave sparked devastating blazes across southern Europe and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.The emergency declaration in Spain came after several uncontrolled fires around Madrid and in the neighboring province of Avila, prompting the authorities to evacuate more than 10,000 residents from towns in the mountains west of the capital.

This measure allows the Spanish Ministry of the Interior to assume responsibility for coordinating firefighting operations throughout the country.French authorities ordered a complete evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist destination near Bordeaux, where about 40,000 people were forced to leave camps, holiday homes and residential areas, many of whom were evacuated by boat.

The first forest fire emergency in Spain

Spanish officials said this is the first time that the country has activated the highest level of emergency specifically to confront forest fires. The same level was used before during a nationwide power outage last year.More than 270 emergency personnel, 40 ground units and several units of the Spanish Military Emergency Unit were deployed to the affected areas.

In Navalinga, one of the worst-hit towns in Avila province, residents watched helicopters hauling water from the local river as smoke filled the air.

“I’ve lived here for 36 years and I’ve never seen anything like this before. I didn’t expect it. I thought they would control the situation last night but it was already late and everything was out of control,” resident Javier Martin told Reuters.According to the European Union’s European Forest Fire Information Service (EFFIS), more than 350 fires have broken out in Spain so far this year. About 1,300 square kilometers have already been destroyed, more than four times the area burned during the same period last year.

Spain also suffered its second-largest forest fire on record this year, burning nearly 320 square kilometers in the Guadalajara province north of Madrid.Earlier this month, 13 people were killed in a fire in southern Spain, the country’s deadliest wildfire in recent memory.

France asks the European Union Firefighting aircraft

The Cap Ferret fire burned about 8,700 hectares, or 87 square kilometers, making it one of the most dangerous fires in France in recent years.President Emmanuel Macron announced that France has activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism and requested additional firefighting resources from European partners.“France has requested the activation of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism,” Macron wrote on the X website, adding that specialized aircraft from several European countries are expected to arrive soon.The European Union will send two Croatian Canadair fire-fighting aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, and heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.The fire spread through pine forests near Bordeaux’s wine-growing region, turning the sky orange and filling nearby areas with smoke.Residents described quick evacuations as the flames approached homes.Patrick Martineau, a resident of Le Bourg, told AFP: “The gendarmes came and knocked on every door, and the fire was about 500 meters away, so we took some things and left.”

Heat wave and climate fears

Temperatures are expected to exceed 39 degrees Celsius in parts of southeastern Spain, with some areas expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius.Smoke from the fires was reportedly seen in parts of Madrid on Friday morning.The crisis is part of a broader pattern of increasingly severe wildfires across southern Europe. EFFIS satellite data shows that the total area burned across the EU this year is already the second largest on record.Europe is warming at almost twice the global rate, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Scientists say human-caused climate change is intensifying heatwaves and drought conditions, making the region more vulnerable to large, fast-spreading fires.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the situation as “tragic” and renewed his call for a political agreement to address climate change, saying the country must adapt to a future of more frequent and intense forest fires.The fires also caused heavy losses among emergency responders.Three firefighters have died during bushfire operations in southern Europe in recent days, including two who were killed while fighting a blaze near Bordeaux airport earlier this week.