PARIS — French authorities have ordered the evacuation of the entire Cap Ferret peninsula along the Atlantic coast as thousands of people have been forced to flee south-west France amid worsening wildfires, with many of them escaping by boat.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 40,000 people had either been or were in the process of being evacuated from the tourism destination west of Bordeaux, as firefighters continue to battle wildfires that have raged in the Gironde region for days.
“A total of 80 homes have burned, around 50 of which have been completely destroyed,” he told reporters.
More than 10,000 hectares are affected by the two concurrent wildfires, which on Thursday night crossed the firebreak established by firefighters.
The French authorities formally requested the activation of the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism to tap into the bloc’s resources as they battle the fires, with Emmanuel Macron saying the situation remained “very intense.”
The EU’s crisis commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, confirmed that “following France’s activation of the EU’s civil protection mechanism, the EU is providing assistance and deploying three water bomber aircraft.”
The mayor of Arès, which lies south-east of Lège-Cap Ferret on the Bay of Arcachon, said his town was being evacuated too. A local councillor said 2,000 evacuees from the peninsula had already arrived by boat in the port of Arcachon on the south side of the bay.
The fires, which began on Tuesday in Saumos, continued to burn overnight with 8,700 hectares (around 21,500 acres) consumed by the flames.
Dangerous situation is also unfolding in Spain, with the Spanish government declaring a national emergency wildfires burn out of control in several areas close to the capital Madrid, forcing more than 10,000 people to evacuate.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke of a “dramatic situation” and urged people to take great care. Three fires were burning west of Madrid, at Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.
Further down the Atlantic coast, around the town of Biscarosse in France’s Landes region, another major fire that began on Thursday afternoon has prompted the evacuations of more than 23,000 people.
About 18,000 people in Biscarrosse and 5,000 in Parentis-en-Born had to leave their homes, campsites, a nursing home and a summer camp.
No further casualties have been reported overnight in south-west France, although two firefighters died on Tuesday while tackling a blaze near Bordeaux airport.
President Macron said he had asked for help from the European Union, and that support would soon come in the form of aircraft from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas ordered the “final phase” of the peninsula evacuation early on Friday morning.
People are being told to leave via the main D106 road towards Bordeaux while boats were being made available for others between 07:00 and 10:00 local time (06:00 BST and 09:00 BST) from four piers.
The road runs along the east side of the peninsula and is the only land route out.
The Cap Ferret peninsula has a year-round population of just under 8,000 but that can swell by 10 times that number in peak season.
Around 20,000 people within the Gironde region had been evacuated on Thursday many of whom were visitors to campsites on the peninsula.
Further evacuations also took place from La Porge on Thursday night which Ms Brocas said had taken place “calmly”.
She added that homes in evacuated areas would be monitored to prevent any vandalism.
“Significant resources” remain on the ground tackling the blaze while additional ground and air reinforcements are due in the coming hours.
The public has been told not to go to the affected areas.
In Spain, firefighters are tackling wildfires in several areas not far from Madrid and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska declared a national emergency as fires burned at Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias in the Madrid region and at Burgohondo in Ávila.
Sánchez said forest fires were “ravaging thousands of hectares” and affecting numerous communities.
“The government has deployed all available resources. It will stand by your side during the emergency and in the recovery.”
Local emergency services said more than 10,000 people had been evacuated.
An update on Friday morning described both fires as “out of control” although their progression in recent hours had been “limited”.
Source: Saudi Gazette