Paris, July 27 (SANA) French President Emmanuel Macron convened an interministerial crisis meeting Monday as wildfires continued to spread across France, while firefighters in neighboring Spain battled rapidly expanding blazes that forced mass evacuations, according to a report by Deutsche Welle (DW).
DW reported that, according to the Élysée Palace, the meeting focused on coordinating the French government’s response to the fires, which have destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of residents.
In France’s southwestern Gironde region, wildfires have destroyed around 240 homes since Wednesday, including about 170 properties in the municipality of Le Porge. Authorities said 84 firefighters have been injured, while more than 2,500 firefighters, backed by military personnel and police forces, have been deployed to contain the blazes.
French authorities had also recorded the formation of a pyro cumulonimbus—a fire-generated storm cloud capable of generating strong winds and lightning that can ignite additional fires. France’s National Firefighters Federation said the phenomenon had not previously been recorded in the country.
In neighboring Spain, Civil Protection chief Virginia Barcones described the wildfire near the city of Ávila as a “monster” fire, saying it spans a perimeter of about 280 kilometers and has affected roughly 77,000 hectares.
Around 75,000 people have been evacuated from parts of the Madrid region, Ávila, Toledo, and the Valencia region. Spanish authorities said the fires remain out of control, although improving conditions could allow some evacuated residents to return to their homes.
Authorities reported that one civilian died in a wildfire near Valencia on Saturday, while two firefighters were killed last week battling fires near Bordeaux in France.
R.H/R.K
