France and Spain Race the Clock as New Heatwave Bears Down on Wildfires
Macron calls fire near Bordeaux 'completely exceptional' as evacuations climb into the hundreds of thousands
By Ingrid "Shortwave" Frost
The fire near Bordeaux does not care that it is already the worst in living memory. French officials say it is still growing, and a fresh heatwave is due to arrive within days.
French President Emmanuel Macron told the country Monday that France is "facing a completely unprecedented fire," calling it the nation's worst fire-related crisis since World War II, according to NPR. "We have to hold out," he said, as crews battled flames near the southwestern city.
The numbers tell their own story. More than 116,000 hectares of forest and vegetation have burned across France since January — up from 70,000 hectares for all of last year, French authorities said. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from areas near the Gironde fire and other blazes.
Across the border, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned his country to brace for "difficult hours" as fires burn there too, per the Guardian's live coverage. Firefighters in both countries are working against a forecast heat wave expected to intensify conditions this week — more wind, less humidity, more fuel for flames already tearing through dry brush.
No official death toll or full damage assessment was available in the material reviewed for this report. Both governments have so far framed the crisis in terms of containment and evacuation, not recovery — a sign of how unsettled the situation remains as the heat returns.
— Compiled from reporting by The Guardian and NPR.
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