French President Emmanuel Macron called a crisis meeting on Monday to address uncontrolled, large-scale wildfires that have forced more than 250,000 people from their residences, despite a slight indication that the largest fire's spread may have slowed.
In France's Gironde region in southwest France, where flames have consumed an area four times the size of Paris, the prefecture reported that the situation remained "globally stable" overnight. This marks a shift from previous days when the massive blaze, active since last week, had approached the wine region city of Bordeaux.
No new evacuations were announced. However, as France approaches its peak August tourist season, Gironde authorities implemented additional measures to deter vacationers, banning holiday camps for children and individuals with disabilities.
The extensive firefighting operation, involving ground crews and aerial support aircraft dropping water and retardants, is racing against time to make headway before a predicted rise in temperatures starting Tuesday could complicate efforts to control the flames.
Macron presided over the government crisis meeting scheduled for Monday morning. In a weekend post on X, he committed long-term assistance to communities affected by the fires, stating: “We will rebuild, we will repair and we will be present for as long as necessary.”
In Spain, wildfires have also burned out of control near Madrid. Fire evacuations were conducted in the Valencia region on Sunday.
The Spanish government reported that 76,000 people had been evacuated, while another 30,000 remained confined to their homes.
Evacuees expressed concern regarding the condition of their properties upon return.
Rocío Domínguez, who evacuated from Chapinería, west of Madrid with her dog Simba, stated, “It looked like the apocalypse. You couldn’t see anything. Everything was covered in ash.” She added, “We don’t know when we get to the town, if we’ll have half the house burned down or we’ll have it intact or we won’t have a house. All the clothes, all the memories, everything.”