French authorities evacuated thousands of residents from suburbs near Bordeaux on Saturday, as intense wildfires forced the relocation of more than 141,000 people across the Gironde and Landes regions, according to local administration and government officials.
Bordeaux Suburbs Cleared Out Amid Unprecedented Blazes
Sophie Brocas, head of the local administration of La Nouvelle-Aquitaine et de la Gironde, announced on X that the areas of Le Haillan, Eysines, and Mérignac were being cleared out as flames pressed closer to Bordeaux. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated on X that more than 141,000 people had fled the Gironde and Landes regions since the fires broke out. “The fires which are hitting our country have reached a level that has never been seen before,” Lecornu wrote. The French government deployed over 500 military personnel to assist firefighting teams, while the Associated Press reported that evacuations also impacted parts of three of the city’s western suburbs, including its airport.
Macron Activates EU Civil Protection Mechanism for 32 Active Fires
Prime Minister Lecornu also requested the expedited deployment of an Airbus A400M military transport aircraft to aid containment operations in Gironde, according to Le Monde.
Spain Declares National Emergency as Blazes Merge Near Madrid
In neighboring Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited affected areas near Madrid on Saturday morning after his government declared a national emergency on Thursday evening. The emergency declaration allowed the central government to assume control over regional powers as two large blazes merged west of Madrid and threatened to combine with a fire in the province of Ávila. Sánchez stated that 130,000 hectares of land had burned since January, exceeding the annual average of 100,000 hectares over the last decade. During his visit to the firefighting control center in Cenicientos, Sánchez reiterated his call for a “national pact against the climate emergency,” proposing initiatives such as a state civil protection agency and a network of climate refuges.
Scottish Authorities Evacuate Nethy Bridge in Cairngorms National Park
In Scotland, First Minister John Swinney chaired an emergency Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGORR) meeting after Police Scotland declared a major incident in the Cairngorms national park. Changing wind conditions forced the precautionary evacuation of Nethy Bridge, a village of about 600 people, last night. Swinney confirmed that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service successfully established a firebreak overnight to protect the village while emergency personnel managed the blaze, which originally ignited in the Glenmore area more than a week prior.
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