More than 10,000 evacuated as wildfire tears through southwestern France

A fast-moving wildfire has forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate homes and camping sites near France's Atlantic coast as extreme heat and worsening drought continue to fuel wildfires across Europe.

Across Europe, three successive heatwaves this season have intensified drought, strained water supplies and left vegetation tinder-dry, helping wildfires scorch more land this year. The extreme heat has also been linked to thousands of deaths.

More than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight in southwestern France after a rapidly spreading wildfire burned through at least 2,400 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux, officials said on Thursday.

Around 500 firefighters are battling to control the blaze, the prefecture said, adding that no injuries had been reported.

The wildfire is burning near Arcachon Bay, a popular tourist destination, and many of those evacuated are visitors staying at camping sites.

"Overnight, the fire spread more quickly than we had imagined," said Philippe de Gonneville, the mayor of Lège-Cap-Ferret.

'The sky turned black and red'

The Cap Ferret peninsula, often likened to the upscale Hamptons in the United States, is home to some expensive properties where wealthy Parisians and Bordelais come to sip white wine and feast on oysters.

The fire later reached the edge of Lège, forcing the evacuation of several campgrounds and neighborhoods close to the forest.

"We moved here two and a half years ago because it's a lovely place, and we don't know what we'll return to," said Jeanine Clarke, 46, evacuated to a nearby evacuation centre. 

Wildfires remained a major challenge across Spain on Thursday, with authorities tackling several significant blazes.

Train services on Spain's Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line resumed on Thursday after a wildfire near the tracks prompted the suspension of services between Mejorada del Campo and Alcalá de Henares, east of Madrid.

Across central Spain, firefighters, emergency personnel and military units remained deployed as authorities monitored multiple active fires, including blazes in Guadalajara, Toledo, Ciudad Real and Albacete. More than 100,000 hectares have burned nationwide so far this year.

• Spain declares state of emergency as wildfires reach outskirts of Madrid
• Southern Europe battles fast-spreading wildfires as thousands flee
• Europe records more than 10,000 excess deaths during late-June heatwave

Heatwaves linked to rising death toll

More than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe and Britain during the last two record-breaking heatwaves in May and late June, with scientists saying the only credible explanation for the unusually high toll was extreme heat.

Belgium said on Thursday that 27 June - during last month's heatwave - was the country's second deadliest day of the 21st century, with 650 deaths.

Europe faces intensifying climate pressures

Europe is bearing the brunt of a rapidly warming climate, with temperatures rising more than twice as fast as the global average.

The Reuters Climate Monitor, an interactive tool tracking weather patterns, showed the average high temperature across Western Europe was forecast to reach 26.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 2.9C above the average high for 23 July during the 1961–1990 reference period.

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Europe heatwave Europe wildfires France wildfire Cap Ferret Arcachon Bay Spain wildfires