Massive wildfires in France and Spain continued to grow overnight and prompted the evacuation of more residents near Bordeaux in western France and the Spanish capital Madrid.
A new fire outside the Spanish coastal city of Valencia has killed one person and forced residents to flee.
What’s the latest on the French wildfires?
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Sunday that the fires burning in the Gironde region near popular Bordeaux had again become “extremely intense and unpredictable” overnight.
About 2,500 firefighters as well as 1,500 military personnel and 1,200 police have been deployed in the area.
The new evacuations overnight brought the total number of displacements in France to more than 220,000.
The fire near Bordeaux, a city of 268,000 inhabitants, also blocked roads, including a highway along the Atlantic coast, and halted train service near the major wine-producing city.
In total, the fire destroyed about 42,000 hectares (103,000 acres) of land – an area four times the size of Paris or seven times the size of Manhattan – more land than at any time since 1949, when a fire destroyed 50,000 hectares.
Separately, firefighters are battling active fires in the southern Var region, where 3,000 people have been evacuated.
One died before fire in New Valencia, Spain could be brought under control
In neighboring Spain, fires have engulfed areas west and north of the capital Madrid, where thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.
On Saturday, officials ordered the evacuation of eight municipalities near Toledo.
A new blaze that broke out outside the seaside city of Valencia has killed one person before firefighters could bring it under control.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said “difficult hours are ahead” as he visited fire-hit areas west of the capital on Sunday, before saying “positive” developments had been seen in containing the fires overnight.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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