Tens of thousands of people flee raging wildfires in France and Spain, some escaping by boat

By — Caroline Blumberg, Associated Press Caroline Blumberg, Associated Press By — Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press By — Joseph Wilson, Associated Press Joseph Wilson, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/tens-of-thousands-of-people-flee-raging-wildfires-in-france-and-spain-some-escaping-by-boat Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Tens of thousands of people flee raging wildfires in France and Spain, some escaping by boat World Jul 24, 2026 12:25 PM EDT ARCACHON, France (AP) — Large forest fires burned out of control in southwestern France and central Spain on Friday, prompting authorities to evacuate an estimated 87,000 people from their homes. Some even fled by boat when flames swept through the touristic Cap Ferret peninsula on France's Atlantic coast. Dozens of firefighters were injured, authorities said. Some 125 square kilometers (about 50 square miles) have been consumed by the blaze that has raged since Wednesday near Cap Ferret. Located just 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Bordeaux, the peninsula normally offers stunning landscapes and sandy beaches as well as oyster-farming villages and upmarket resorts. Grow your mind Subscribe to our Science Newsletter to explore the wide worlds of science, health and technology. About 67,000 residents in France escaped a larger area as authorities ordered additional evacuations further south after a separate wildfire broke out. Both France and Spain have asked fellow European Union members for help. "It's quite impressive and even frightening," said Laurent Moretti, a resident in the town of Arès. "An evacuation on this scale has never happened before. All we really hope is that the firefighters can quickly get it under control." More than 20,000 people had already been evacuated from towns and vacation resorts on Thursday. The new evacuations were carried out by road, with boat shuttles provided for people who could not travel by their own means. Local authorities in the Gironde department said 53 homes and a camp site have been ravaged by flames, adding that 42 firefighters were injured. Around 1,500 people who fled the peninsula arrived by sea in the city of Arcachon, some aboard small water taxis and others on larger boats. The EU comes to the rescue Hundreds of French firefighters have been deployed and additional ground and aerial reinforcements were sent Friday to tackle the blaze. Meanwhile, another major wildfire destroyed 25 square kilometers of land further south down the coast. It remained uncontained and strong winds hampered the work of firefighters. Authorities believe the cause of both fires was accidental. Some 44,000 people have been evacuated in Gironde, and 23,000 in the Landes. READ MORE: Thousands are evacuated as wildfire spreads near popular French tourist town French President Emmanuel Macron said France will receive EU reinforcements including t