France and Spain have been hit by massive wildfires, with France evacuating an estimated 63 000 people and Spain declaring a state of emergency due to wildfires for the first time in its history.
Reuters writes about this.
In southwestern France, authorities have ordered the complete evacuation of the Cap-Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist destination on the Atlantic coast. People are being evacuated by car and boat. The largest fire, which broke out near Somos, has already destroyed more than 12 500 hectares of forest, more than 50 houses and a campsite, and threatens to block the only road from the peninsula.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
In Spain, the situation is no less critical. Two large fires have merged west of Madrid, and a third is almost joining them. As a result, more than 19 000 people were evacuated on July 24. More than 2 000 rescuers and 10 aircraft were involved in fighting the fire, but the spread of the flames has not yet been contained.
Both countries have appealed to the European Union for help. Greece sent two CL-415 firefighting aircraft to Spain, while Croatia sent the same aircraft to France.
According to European services, fires have already destroyed more territory in Europe this year than the average year for the past two decades. Scientists link the increasingly frequent heat waves, droughts and large-scale fires to climate change. In addition, in France, high temperatures are already affecting the operation of nuclear power plants and deteriorating the condition of corn crops.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.