The Cumberland Times-News
·Jul 2026
Ninety thousand people flee raging wildfires in France and Spain, some escaping by boat
Wildfires burned out of control in southwestern France and central Spain, forcing the evacuation of an estimated 92,000 people, including residents and tourists on France’s Cap Ferret peninsula who escaped by boat. Dozens of firefighters were injured, but no deaths were reported. France requested European Union assistance, while Spain declared a national wildfire emergency as fires near Madrid and in Castilla y León spread amid record heat, strong winds and drought. Officials and experts linked the worsening fire conditions to climate change, abandoned farmland and increasingly vulnerable rural communities.