Devastating wildfires have raged in France’s Gironde region for a number of days, with officials now ordering the evacuation of the entire Cap Ferret peninsula
French authorities have ordered an evacuation of the entire Cap Ferret peninsula as deadly wildfires continue to devour the south-west.
Tens of thousands of people are now being evacuated from the up-market resort, including hundreds escaping by boat as firefighters continue to tackle widespread flames across France’s Gironde region.
The fire has so far consumed around 10,000 hectares – roughly one and a half the size of Manhattan – with water-bombing planes deployed in a bid to keep the infernos under control.
President Emmanuel Macron said France had invoked the European Union’s civil protection mechanism to ask for help, warning the crisis remained “very intense.”
The total area of land burnt so far this year in EU countries is the second largest on record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
It comes as Spain declared a national emergency over wildfires raging in multiple areas close to its capital Madrid.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 40,000 people had either been or were preparing to evacuate from the Cap Ferret peninsula on France’s south-west coast.
Headmaster David Morton, 53, from Gloucester, was holidaying at the resort with his wife and sons when they received an emergency text message in the middle of the night ordering them to evacuate.
The family, who were staying at a home in Petit Piquey – a coastal village along the peninsula – were woken up at 3am local time (1am GMT).
“We got in our car, packed everything up as quickly as we could… and then set off and joined a very long, slow-moving queue of traffic,” Mr Morton told the BBC.
The family drove past “enormous” flames that “really brought it home what a major fire it was,” he added.
“Everyone was driving with their lights on, driving very slowly – there was lots of fire service people, ambulances, police on the other side of the road controlling things and we could see several fires in the distance as we drove.”
“You could see the whole forest was on fire and that really brought it home what a major fire it was.”
Local prefect Sophie Brocas said the fires had destroyed 53 homes and a campsite, but that 2,000 houses had been saved.
Authorities began evacuating the town of Arès on Friday morning after the flames had spread rapidly overnight, fire and rescue chief Marc Vermeulen said.
Another major fire that erupted on Thursday afternoon has seen more than 23,000 people evacuated near the town of Biscarrosse in France’s Landes region.
Roughly 18,000 people in Biscarrosse and 5,000 in Parentis-en-Born were forced to leave their homes and campsites, as well as a nursing home and a summer camp.
Landes prefect Gilles Clavreul said sweltering highs of 37C combined with winds of up to 50km/h meant the fire around Biscarrosse would not be out by the end of Friday.
There have been no reports of casualties overnight in south-west France, but two firefighters died on Tuesday while attempting to control a blaze near Bordeaux airport.
France has already recorded more than 300 wildfires this year compared to an annual average of 93, according to the EFFIS
