Spain and France battle wildfires described as ‘apocalyptic’

By the Climate Centre

Firefighters and emergency personnel in Spain and France were today battling separate wildfires on multiple fronts that have been described as apocalyptic, ahead of another forecast heatwave that will make conditions yet more difficult.

“What we’re experiencing isn’t a succession of isolated events. It’s the most painful expression of a climate emergency that is making [extreme] Level 6 wildfires more ferocious, heatwaves more frequent, and our territory more vulnerable,” Reuters quoted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez saying Monday.

The Spanish government estimates that 77,000 hectares have burnt so far in the provinces of Madrid, Toledo and Avila, with the Avila blaze reportedly the biggest wildfire in modern Spanish ​history.

In both Bordeaux and Avila, July temperatures have averaged 32°C – almost 6°C above the month’s 1961–90 norm, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.

The blazes in France, which began last week, are now only 15km from entry points to the city of Bordeaux – “a fire of a size never seen before,” said Jerome Steffe, mayor of the affected Bordeaux suburb of Cestas.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated across both countries.

Greece and Italy have each sent two Canadair water-bombing aircraft to Spain under the EU civil protection mechanism and Portugal has deployed more than 100 military personnel and equipment, and two more planes are due to arrive from Turkey; Switzerland is supporting France with two firefighting Super Puma helicopters.

‘A fire of a size never seen before’

The Red Cross in the Spanish capital “is deploying all its resources to assist those affected by the fires in the Sierra Oeste region,” the National Society said today. A large-scale Red Cross response had been underway since last Wednesday to assist evacuees in numerous municipalities across the region.

The Red Cross response centres on managing temporary shelters, supplying food, basic necessities, and social and psychosocial support, and offering logistical assistance to emergency responders. As of yesterday, just under 3,000 people were being sheltered in the various Red Cross facilities.

“Throughout the emergency, teams have maintained a continuous response through rotations of volunteers and technical staff, and specialized units. They are sustaining an extensive network of shelter, food, and social support while firefighting efforts continue and assessments are made for the return of evacuees to their communities,” the Spanish Red Cross says.

The French Red Cross has also been deploying “very significant resources”: volunteers from Dordogne and Charente-Maritime, are participating in evacuation operations or making themselves available to emergency responders.
 
Ten logisticians and eight experienced technical advisers were joining teams on the ground and the National Society plans to send 20 additional ambulances and up to 900 beds from the Gard and Isère regions – all potentially scaled up at least until the fires can be brought under control.

Spanish Red Cross volunteers outside the National Society’s emergency shelter at the Villa del Prado municipality in the Community of Madrid watch smoke rising from historic wildfires. (Photo: CRE)