Forest fires have gone out of control in Southern Europe. People are being evacuated on a large scale in Spain, France and Italy. Spain has declared a national emergency after a fire near Madrid. France has asked for help from the European Union.
madrid [स्पेन]July 24 (ANI): According to Euronews, wildfires continue to wreak havoc in southern Europe, leading to mass evacuations and emergency services in Spain, France and Italy. Authorities are struggling to control the rapidly spreading fire due to extreme heat and strong winds.
national emergency in spain
Spain has declared a national emergency as wildfires threaten communities near Madrid and in the province of Ávila. According to Euronews, authorities said the fire burning in the towns of Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdaiglesias, west of the Spanish capital, is “out of control”, although emergency teams have managed to slow its spread in recent hours. Thousands of residents have been evacuated from affected areas, while temperatures are expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius in parts of Spain on Friday. Announcing the move, the Spanish government said in a post on Twitter, “Tonight, a state of emergency of national interest has been declared due to the fires in Madrid and Ávila. Other provinces are also affected by wildfires.”
France asked for help from European Union
Meanwhile, France has sought aid through the EU’s civil protection mechanism as multiple wildfires rage across the country amid scorching temperatures. French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on Twitter that the situation remained “very tense”, especially in the south-western department of Gironde, where fires have burned more than 8,700 hectares. “The situation remains very tense due to the fires ravaging the country, especially in the Gironde,” Macron said in his post. The post added, “France has requested the activation of the EU civil protection mechanism. We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.”
20,000 people evacuated in Gironde
A wildfire in the Gironde, which broke out in Soumous on Tuesday, has spread towards Le Porges and Liege-Cap-Ferrat, forcing authorities to evacuate about 20,000 people, Euronews reported. Macron also paid tribute to two firefighters who lost their lives fighting a blaze in the Bordeaux suburb of Merignac earlier this week. His post further said, “My thoughts are with our firefighters and rescue forces who continue to battle the fire. Their courage deserves respect.” According to Euronews, the Gironde saw devastating wildfires in 2022 that forced about 50,000 people to flee after more than 30,000 hectares of forest were destroyed.
Another large wildfire is burning near the villages of Corrance and Montfort-sur-Argens in the Var department of south-eastern France, where about 2,700 hectares had burned by Thursday evening. Euronews reported that about 800 firefighters, supported by aerial firefighting resources, were deployed to control the fire.
Fire wreaks havoc in Italy too
In Italy, about 6,000 emergency responders, including firefighters, forest guards and civil protection personnel, have been deployed to tackle wildfires across Sicily. According to the regional government, the most serious fires have been recorded in Casaboli, Bivona, Alimena, San Cataldo, Galati Mamertino, parts of the Madoni Regional Natural Park and the Syracuse region. A firefighter, Alessandro Marchi, died while battling a wildfire in San Cataldo earlier this week. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed condolences in a post on Twitter, saying, “The death of Battalion Chief Alessandro Marchi deeply saddens us. He lost his life while engaged in an operation to extinguish a huge fire in San Cataldo, and carried out his duty to the end with courage, dedication and an extraordinary sense of responsibility. To his family, his colleagues and the entire National Fire Department, I express my heartfelt condolences and closeness.”
254,388 hectares of forest destroyed in European Union this year
Wildfires have burned 254,388 hectares of land in the EU since the beginning of the year, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System cited by Euronews. Although this figure is above the long-term average, it is less than the 270,449 hectares burned during the same period in 2025. (ANI)
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