Firefighters are working to put out the fire in southwestern France during the night to Sunday. Photo: Emma Da Silva/AP/TT
At least 220,000 people have been forced to leave the French department of Gironde since the fire started. In total, an area equivalent to the entire island of Öland has burned in the area, according to French authorities.
At the same time, more communities are being evacuated in central Spain.
A spokesperson for the authorities in Bordeaux tells Sky News that all possible scenarios are currently being investigated, depending on how the fires develop.
This also includes a possible evacuation of the entire city, if necessary.
The fires have been getting closer to the city of Bordeaux during the week and the authorities have continuously decided on expanded evacuations.
A total of at least 300,000 people have now been evacuated as a result of the fires raging in both France and Spain.
The situation in Gironde in France is “critical” with “very strong winds”.
The fire is described as “creating its own winds”, making its spread unpredictable and difficult for the fire service to manage. Around 42,000 hectares have burned in a few days in the department – an area equivalent to the entire island of Öland.
On Saturday, three men were arrested in Gironde, suspected of endangering people, according to prosecutors. Two of them are accused of setting off fireworks.
Cities evacuated
Central parts of Spain have also been hit by huge fires in recent days. Over the weekend, the fire service fought large fires outside the capital Madrid, as well as in the neighboring provinces of Ávila and Toledo. So far, evacuations have taken place in at least 39 towns or villages in the three provinces, El País reports.
In Toledo, many residents had just returned home when a new evacuation order was issued around midnight. The state of emergency that is in force in parts of the country has also been expanded geographically, according to the newspaper.
People urged to wear masks
The military-led crisis unit UME states that several fires are still out of control, but that the spread has been limited to some extent on Saturday.
The fire has also led to a sharp deterioration in air quality in the affected areas. Spanish authorities are advising residents who have not been evacuated to stay indoors and use filtering half masks if they must leave their homes.
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