Wildfires burning across France, Spain and the UK have forced more than 300,000 people from their homes this week, in what French officials are calling the country’s biggest peacetime evacuation since World War II.
France: fire near defense and nuclear sites
The fire began in France’s Gironde region, near Bordeaux, and has since burned nearly 104,000 acres. Around 220,000 people have been evacuated from Gironde alone, with another 36,000 from the neighboring Landes region. The town of Le Porge, home to 3,500 people, was largely destroyed.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday the fire is “stabilized” in Gironde and “contained” in Landes, though fire authorities have warned it could keep burning for weeks or months before it’s fully extinguished.
Several strategic sites tied to France’s defense industry and nuclear deterrent sit close to the fire west of Bordeaux. ArianeGroup, the aerospace and defense firm that owns those facilities, confirmed to CNN that all affected sites have been evacuated.
Firefighters have described the blaze as producing a “pyrocumulonimbus” a rare fire cloud capable of generating its own thunderstorms and erratic winds, making it, in one fire captain’s words, “unmanageable.”
Spain: the largest wildfire in the country’s history
In central Spain, fires have forced at least 63,152 people from their homes across the Madrid, Toledo and Avila regions, according to the country’s interior ministry. At least one person has died.
The fire in Avila province alone has burned more than 50,000 hectares (190 square miles) the largest wildfire ever recorded in Spain, according to the country’s Minister for the Ecological Transition. More than 25,000 people have been evacuated from that province, with another 8,700 confined to their homes.
Spanish firefighters have been working overnight to stop two separate fires west of Madrid from merging into one.
UK: nuclear plant placed on alert
A separate wildfire broke out at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, England, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents and holidaymakers, including almost 200 caravans at a coastal holiday park. The fire has been declared a major incident.
Sizewell B nuclear power station, located about three miles south of the blaze, has been placed on high alert. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service says there is currently no direct risk to the plant given the wind direction, but a source familiar with the station’s operations said contingency plans have been activated in case shifting winds carry smoke toward the site, which could affect the plant’s ventilation systems. Sizewell B remains fully operational and generates around 3% of the UK’s electricity.
Why it’s happening now
All three countries are in the grip of an extended heatwave. France’s fire authorities have called the scale of this year’s blazes “unprecedented,” with nearly 250,000 acres burned nationwide since January.
