Unchecked wildfires raging Saturday in France's southwest and near Spain's capital Madrid have forced nearly 260,000 people to flee and prompted Paris to deploy its military. France hustled 197,000 people from areas around Bordeaux -- including vacation spots crowded this time of year -- in what was "probably" the biggest peacetime evacuation the country
Massive forest fires forced the evacuation of some 200,000 people in southwestern France and central Spain on Friday, with residents fleeing towns near Madrid and Bordeaux as the flames raged out of control. Firefighters and authorities in both European countries were caught off guard by the virulence of the fires, which were fueled by high temperatures
The worst wildfire in the Madrid region's history raged west of the Spanish capital on Friday, with over 60,000 people evacuated or ordered to remain indoors. Strong winds and scorching temperatures hampered efforts to contain the flames, which had destroyed dozens of homes and forced the closure of several roads, officials said. Forecast winds are
More than 140,000 people have been evacuated as vast wildfires tear through France's southwest, the country's interior ministry said Friday. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told TF1 television that the count covered the period since Wednesday, when the blazes began to turn into what he called a "completely unprecedented" situation. France, he said,