Europe Wildfire Emergency Deepens

Wildfires burning across France and Spain have forced more than 220,000 people to flee their homes. The fires have scorched huge areas of land and pushed governments to declare national emergencies. Firefighters from several countries, including Australia, are working together to battle the blazes. The crisis has been called unlike anything seen before in the region.

In Spain, the government declared its first-ever national civil emergency linked to wildfires. Officials called the situation unprecedented, meaning nothing like it had happened before. More than 130,000 hectares of land have burned in Spain so far this year. That is six times more land than was destroyed during the same period last year. Spain's king spoke out about the enormous damage done to the country's forests and natural landscapes.

People who had to leave their homes described frightening and emotional moments. One evacuee from the town of Betxí, in eastern Spain, said losing nature was the hardest part. Another evacuee remembered packing their belongings in near darkness as smoke filled the air and ash fell around them. Many evacuees took shelter in local sports centres while waiting for news about their homes. Volunteers and emergency workers helped care for those who had fled.

In France, flames moved closer to the city of Bordeaux in the southwest of the country. French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency cabinet meeting to deal with the crisis. An exhibition centre in Bordeaux was turned into a shelter, providing beds and food for thousands of people who had fled. Evacuees praised the volunteers and emergency workers who helped them. One person said the response from authorities and medical staff had been really amazing.

Firefighting crews from many countries joined forces to tackle the blazes. A Greek aircraft was sent to fight fires west of Madrid, Spain's capital. An Australian company called Aerotech sent four aerial firefighting planes to the southwest of France. The planes can drop about 3,000 litres of water or fire retardant on flames at a time. CEO Chris Boyd said the aircraft are the backbone of Australia's aerial firefighting industry.

Coordinating between air crews and ground teams was a key challenge, especially across language barriers. The Australian planes either flew alongside a French-speaking pilot or carried a translator on board. Boyd explained that air crews must work closely with ground crews, because it is the people on the ground who ultimately put fires out. He praised the translators for doing a tough job in very difficult conditions. Boyd said it was very turbulent and very hot, but the translators were doing a great job.

While private companies helped in Europe, firefighters from Australian state agencies were focused on North America. Ninety large fires were burning across the United States, where more than 70 Australian firefighters were sent for up to five weeks. Canada also requested help, with more than 900 active fires burning there. The scale of wildfires around the world this season has put enormous pressure on international firefighting resources. Crews are working long hours across multiple continents to protect lives and land.