‘Violent’ wildfires rage close to French and Spanish cities

{"text":[[{"start":8.7,"text":"France and Spain were battling multiple wildfires on Sunday as worsening blazes in disparate regions stretched firefighting capacity and left tens of thousands of people in temporary shelters."}],[{"start":19.65,"text":"Laurent Nuñez, France’s interior minister, said the fires in the Gironde region of the country’s south-west “remained extremely violent, unpredictable” as they move “erratically towards Bordeaux”."}],[{"start":31.799999999999997,"text":"Meanwhile Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spain’s interior minister, said that blazes raging to the west of Madrid were “the most important and aggressive fires in Spanish history”."}],[{"start":43.65,"text":"With the flames as close as 50km to the Spanish capital, Grande-Marlaska said on Sunday evening that efforts to contain them had advanced more “positively” during the day than on Saturday, but that progress was “very slow”."}],[{"start":57.05,"text":"In total, around 335,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the two countries. The fire in the Gironde region of Bordeaux alone has caused 220,000 people to be ordered to safer ground. Two French firefighters died tackling the flames last week."}],[{"start":74.4,"text":"France and Spain have deployed their militaries and have summoned foreign help to tame infernos worsened by climate change that threaten to overwhelm them."}],[{"start":83.65,"text":"A Swiss team is among the 2,500 firefighters mobilised in France while Italy, Greece and Portugal have sent nearly 200 personnel to Spain, along with water-bombing aircraft, fire engines and water tankers. Turkey is also sending two planes to Spain."}],[{"start":101.30000000000001,"text":"In France, an additional 50,000 people from five towns around Bordeaux were evacuated overnight, with police going door to door to urge residents to leave their homes."}],[{"start":112.10000000000001,"text":"Since Friday, authorities have been racing to limit the progress of the blazes towards the city itself, but changing wind patterns and weather conditions have complicated their efforts. On Sunday afternoon, hotels around the Bordeaux airport were evacuated and closed, although the airport itself was still operating normally. "}],[{"start":130.75,"text":"Several thousand people have already gone to an emergency shelter at the Bordeaux Exhibition Centre. Thomas Cazenave, the city’s mayor, said 2,500 people would now be offered lodgings in hotels and other facilities, since the situation was taking longer to resolve than hoped. “It will allow people to be more comfortably settled,” he told CNews. "}],[{"start":152.5,"text":"Usually bustling during the summer holidays, seaside resorts around the Bay of Arcachon stood deserted after authorities ordered residents and tourists to leave. Some holdouts remained, such as oyster farmers who told BFM TV that they were staying to try to keep their oysters alive. “We have boats, so if things take a turn we can leave here in only minutes,” said one."}],[{"start":174.9,"text":"French authorities are also fighting other smaller fires in other parts of the country, such as in the north of Corsica and the Hautes-Alpes region."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":182.6,"text":"The wildfires to the west of Madrid began as separate blazes that have now merged into one, forcing the evacuation of more than 60,000 people. No deaths have been reported."}],[{"start":193.65,"text":"While signalling progress against the Madrid fires, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said authorities were “closely monitoring” a new blaze in the Castellón province of Valencia in south-east Spain — a popular holiday region — which has required the evacuation of 16,000 people."}],[{"start":211.05,"text":"Local firefighters posted a video of towering flames against an orange sky on X, writing: “When the forces of nature prevail, wildfires can take on characteristics that exceed the extinguishing capacity of any fire service in the world.”"}],[{"start":224.95000000000002,"text":"Sánchez said that in just 24 hours the total area of scorched terrain in Spain this year had jumped from 130,000 hectares to 150,000 hectares — roughly six times the total for the same period of 2025."}],[{"start":240.3,"text":"Just under 98,000 hectares have burned in France as of Saturday, a new record and an area more than nine times the size of Paris. The final stage of the Tour de France was shortened on Sunday as security and emergency services were redeployed to fight fires."}],[{"start":257.15000000000003,"text":"Spain and France have been the epicentre of this year’s European wildfire season. Especially severe blazes in southern Spain killed at least 13 people earlier this month."}],[{"start":267.90000000000003,"text":"Despite a wetter than usual start to the year in western Europe, the fire conditions have been worsened by three successive heatwaves that dried out vegetation, making it easier for blazes to start and spread. Scientists say these conditions have been made more extreme by climate change."}],[{"start":284.20000000000005,"text":"Investigators in France are looking into whether the blaze in Gironde began accidentally. On Wednesday, a crew from grid operator Enedis was clearing out vegetation beneath an electricity line near the village of Saumos, and reported seeing flames break out shortly after a tractor passed through. They tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the fire before alerting emergency services."}],[{"start":307.1,"text":"In Spain, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, president of the Castilla y León regional government, said one of the fires close to Madrid “was caused by an act of negligence”."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":317.35,"text":"Where climate change meets business, markets and politics. Explore the FT’s coverage here."}],[{"start":323.40000000000003,"text":"Are you curious about the FT’s environmental sustainability commitments? Find out more about our science-based targets here"}],[{"start":339.30000000000007,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1785112434_5466.mp3"}