French authorities have ordered the evacuation of the entire Cap Ferret peninsula as massive wildfires continue to spread across the south-west of the country.
Thousands of residents and holidaymakers have fled the popular tourist destination, with many escaping by boat across the Bay of Arcachon as firefighters battle what officials have described as an “XXL fire.”
The fires, which began on Tuesday in the Gironde region west of Bordeaux, have already burned about 10,000 hectares of land, equivalent to nearly 25,000 acres.
More than 40,000 people evacuated
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said around 40,000 people had either been evacuated or were in the process of leaving the Cap Ferret peninsula.
The narrow peninsula lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Arcachon and attracts tens of thousands of visitors during the summer season.
Local prefect Sophie Brocas said the fires had destroyed 53 homes and a campsite. However, emergency crews successfully protected about 2,000 houses from the advancing flames.
A local official reported that approximately 2,000 evacuees arrived by boat at the port of Arcachon after leaving the peninsula.
Fire spreads rapidly overnight
Fire and rescue chief Marc Vermeulen said the wildfire expanded rapidly on Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday.
Authorities subsequently ordered the evacuation of the town of Arès, located southeast of Lège-Cap Ferret along the bay.
Officials fear weather conditions, including strong winds and high temperatures, could further complicate firefighting efforts.
Another major blaze forces evacuations
Further south in France’s Landes region, another wildfire near Biscarrosse has triggered additional evacuations.
Authorities said more than 23,000 people were forced to leave homes, campsites, a nursing home and a summer camp.
About 18,000 residents and visitors were evacuated from Biscarrosse, while another 5,000 left Parentis-en-Born.
Landes prefect Gilles Clavreul warned that the fire was unlikely to be brought under control by the end of Friday due to temperatures reaching between 36°C and 37°C and winds of up to 50 kilometres per hour.
He said at least 105 homes and other buildings had been partially or completely destroyed.
Macron describes situation as “very tense”
French President Emmanuel Macron described the wildfire situation as “very tense,” particularly in the Gironde region.
The European Union has deployed three aircraft and two helicopters to support French firefighting operations, while Spain has also received four firefighting planes as it battles its own wildfire crisis.
Spain declares national emergency
Meanwhile, Spain has declared a national emergency as several wildfires burn out of control near Madrid.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the situation as “dramatic” and urged residents to exercise extreme caution.
Major fires are currently burning west of Madrid in Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.
Tourists recount dramatic escape
Among those evacuated was British tourist David Morton and his family, who were staying in Petit Piquey on the peninsula.
He said emergency text messages and telephone alerts woke them around 3:00 a.m., prompting them to leave immediately.
“We got in our car, packed everything up as quickly as we could and then joined a very long, slow-moving queue of traffic,” he told the BBC.
Morton described seeing large fires in the distance and witnessing entire sections of forest engulfed in flames.
“You could see the whole forest was on fire and that really brought it home what a major fire it was,” he said.
Despite the danger, he praised emergency services and residents for carrying out what he described as a calm and orderly evacuation.
The Cap Ferret peninsula, which has a permanent population of fewer than 8,000 people, can see its population increase tenfold during the summer tourism season, making the evacuation one of the largest in the region’s recent history.
