More than 200,000 people flee raging wildfires in France and Spain, some escaping by boat

More than 200,000 people fled raging wildfires across France and Spain on Friday, with some evacuating by boat from France’s Atlantic coast. In southwestern France and central Spain, authorities reported that large numbers of residents left towns near Madrid and Bordeaux as the fires spread rapidly, fueled by high temperatures and long-term climate change effects. Spain’s interior ministry said 60,000 people were forced from their homes, while France’s interior ministry reported 141,000 evacuees across the Gironde and Landes departments. French officials said no deaths were reported in either country, though dozens of firefighters were injured. In France, the wildfire moved over about 140 square kilometers after a wind shift and was heading east toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area, with 110,000 people evacuating in the Gironde region. French President Emmanuel Macron ordered activation of the government crisis response unit and military support to reinforce civilian emergency services. The fires began on Wednesday near the Cap Ferret peninsula, about 60 kilometers from Bordeaux.