Wildfires ravage French tourist coasts as EU sends aid
Mass evacuations on France’s Atlantic coast and a state of emergency in Spain highlight the escalating toll of record summer wildfires on European life and the continent's tourism economy.
Authorities have ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, one of France’s most famous holiday destinations, as an "intense and highly unpredictable" wildfire sweeps through the south-western Gironde region.
By Friday morning, the blaze had burned more than 10,000 hectares and destroyed 80 houses, forcing 40,000 people from campsites and rental homes. Rescue teams are ferrying residents and tourists off the narrow peninsula by sea from four piers, as the sole connecting road is closed to all but essential traffic.
A second fire near the resort town of Biscarrosse has scorched another 2,500 hectares and triggered the evacuation of 23,000 more people, including children and elderly residents. Local prefect Gilles Clavreul described the situation as "highly dynamic and unfavourable," noting that new fires are sparking ahead of the main front.
The twin disasters strike at the heart of France's lucrative summer tourism sector. Cap Ferret and the Arcachon Bay area are heavily reliant on holidaymakers, drawing both international visitors and wealthy residents. The sudden displacement of tens of thousands during peak season deals a severe blow to local businesses already grappling with the economic strain of three back-to-back heatwaves since May.
The scale of the crisis has overwhelmed national resources, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to activate the EU’s civil protection mechanism. France is deploying 800 firefighters and four water-bombing planes to the Gironde alone, but will soon receive two aircraft each from Croatia and Portugal, plus heavy helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The French fires are part of a broader continental emergency. Spain declared a national emergency on Thursday night as uncontained blazes near Madrid forced more than 10,000 people to flee, with the regional government warning that fires could advance "beyond current extinguishing capacity."
The severity of the fires is unprecedented for this time of year. Data from the European Forest Fire Information System shows that twice as much land has burned across the EU by 22 July compared to the two-decade average. In France alone, 32 active fires have scorched 50,000 hectares—nearly four times the total for the same period last year.
