More than 270,000 people have been forced to leave areas affected by wildfires in southwestern France and central Spain, as the heatwave and strong winds make the situation even more difficult for authorities. Among those affected are also many tourists, who are recounting scenes of panic during nighttime evacuations.
Flames spread quickly as authorities move to emergency measures
According to the authorities, the spread of the fires has been fueled by high temperatures and wind, putting emergency services in both countries under pressure.
In France, the army has been deployed in emergency operations, while in Spain the government has declared a national state of emergency. The scale of the situation is also reflected in the number of evacuations, which has surpassed 270,000 people.
Tourists warned not to move without instructions
Flights to Bordeaux and Madrid, according to official information, are continuing as normal, but authorities have asked tourists to follow emergency instructions and stay continuously informed about developments on the ground.
French Minister for International Partnerships Éléonore Caroit said that most regions of France remain safe and called on visitors not to cancel their trips. However, the official message of calm comes at a time when accounts from affected areas speak of immediate evacuations and movement under pressure.
“It was like a movie”: testimonies from evacuated areas
Dozens of tourists told the BBC about alarms that woke them in the middle of the night, long lines of cars near the flames, and waiting on beaches or in shelter centers with suitcases in hand.
Zac Morrison, 21, from London, who was on the Cap Ferret peninsula with his family, said he received several emergency messages during the night ordering immediate evacuation. According to him, the French army went door to door and many people spent the night in schools, warehouses or on the beach, waiting for permission to move farther away.
David Morton of Gloucestershire described the same pressure, saying his family was forced to leave a campsite in Cap Ferret within minutes, while the only exit road filled with vehicles and drew closer to the fire zones.
Emptied towns and interrupted holidays
In Biscarrosse, Rebecca Papin said that during the night she saw firefighting planes and helicopters over the area, but did not receive an evacuation order. The next day, according to her account, the town was almost deserted, roads had been blocked and ash was falling from the sky.
For many families, the crisis has overturned holiday plans. Mark Dorey from Leeds was evacuated from a campsite near Parentis-en-Born together with his family and spent the night in a gymnasium with hundreds of other people, before moving to the Dordogne region in search of a safer area.
Images from the ground and tourists’ testimonies highlight the scale of the emergency in France and Spain, beyond the reassuring statements from the authorities.
With the fires still active and weather conditions unfavorable, the risk to local communities and visitors remains high.