Wildfires in Spain and France force nearly three lakh to evacuate

Wildfires across France and Spain forced nearly three lakh people to flee their homes, as firefighters struggled to control flames heading towards the French city of Bordeaux on Sunday.France 24 reported that roughly 2,20,000 people have been evacuated across France, and over 75 thousand in Spain."We have a fire that is not under control and which is moving in the direction of the city area", said French interior minister Laurent Nunez on Sunday."The overall situation is very unfavourable; we are in a situation that is unprecedented", he added.According to Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave, the main fire front is nearly 15 kilometres from the city's periphery, whose greater metropolitan area houses a population of approximately 8,50,000.Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Avila province, where the largest wildfire in Spain's recent history has destroyed more than 50,000 hectares of land.Additionally, France 24 reported flames blazing 4,300 hectares in eastern Spain's Castellon province, spreading into the Sierra de Espadan natural park.PM Sanchez revealed that since January, wildfires have destroyed more than 150,000 hectares across Spain. Reportedly six times higher compared to last year.European Union members have stepped in to help Spain under the EU’s civil protection mechanism. Portugal has deployed over 100 specially equipped military personnel, while Greece and Italy have dispatched two Canadair firefighting aircraft each.The Spanish PM, on the other hand, has announced to declare a civil protection emergency on Tuesday for the impacted central provinces, releasing recovery funds to assist affected communities.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.