France evacuates Cap Ferret peninsula by boat as wildfires rage

France evacuates Cap Ferret peninsula by boat as wildfires rage, with French authorities ordering a total evacuation of the Atlantic Coast tourism hotspot on Friday. Officials dispatched boats to remove people from an area threatened by a major wildfire, affecting a region with many valuable properties and filled with summer vacationers. President Emmanuel Macron said France requested activation of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, and cited reinforcements including two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, and two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Evacuees could depart from piers in four local villages between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time, or leave via the only road to the mainland. The fire had already burned 8,700 hectares and was still active. A separate wildfire near Biscarosse had devastated 2,500 hectares, with over 23,000 people evacuated.