Firefighters are struggling to extinguish a forest fire in southwestern France as strong winds drive it toward the city of Bordeaux. “The fire is still far from being brought under control,” an official said.
More than 300,000 people in France and Spain have been evacuated from raging fires for days as winds and high temperatures make fighting them difficult.
In Spain, where a state of emergency has been declared, changes in weather conditions have helped firefighters outside Madrid.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez acknowledged that “there will be complex times ahead.” Meanwhile, Valencian authorities confirmed that one man died in the fire.
According to local media reports, the man, believed to be in his 70s, was found dead in his car by firefighters while extinguishing a fire in the Salt de l’Aigua valley in Manises.
In France, another 55,000 people were ordered to evacuate late Saturday, bringing the total to about 250,000 people in the southwestern Gironde and Landes regions.
Firefighter Captain Nicolas Braz told AFP the fire had created “its own whirlwind”, adding that it had been “volatile and difficult to manage”.
He said it would be another “difficult night.”
France mobilized its military to help respond, and additional reinforcements from the army were also sent to help firefighters clear brush and extinguish the fire.
President Emmanuel Macron said France would be “rebuilt” and his government would “be there for as long as necessary.”
