More than 40,000 people have either been evacuated or are in the process of leaving the Cap Ferret peninsula west of Bordeaux, according to French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. The wildfires are among several major blazes burning across southwestern France, where extreme heat, dry vegetation and strong winds continue to hamper firefighting efforts.

Cap Ferret Evacuation Follows Rapid Fire Growth

The wildfire in France’s Gironde region began Tuesday and has burned approximately 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres), according to local authorities.

Hundreds of evacuees have been transported by boat across the Bay of Arcachon while emergency services continue moving residents and tourists away from the advancing fire.

Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas described the blaze as an “XXL fire” and said 53 homes and a campsite had been destroyed. Firefighters, however, succeeded in protecting about 2,000 homes from the flames.

Authorities expanded evacuation orders Friday morning to include the town of Arès after the fire spread rapidly overnight, according to fire and rescue chief Marc Vermeulen.

The Cap Ferret peninsula lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Arcachon. Although fewer than 8,000 people live there year-round, the population swells to around 80,000 during the summer tourism season.

Additional Wildfires Force More Evacuations

Another major wildfire that erupted Thursday near Biscarrosse in France’s Landes region forced the evacuation of more than 23,000 people.

Officials said approximately 18,000 residents and visitors in Biscarrosse and another 5,000 in Parentis-en-Born were evacuated from homes, campsites, a nursing home and a summer camp.

Landes prefect Gilles Clavreul said firefighters were unlikely to contain the blaze before the end of Friday, citing forecast temperatures of 36–37°C (97–99°F) and wind gusts reaching 50 km/h (31 mph).

No additional casualties were reported overnight. Earlier in the week, two firefighters were killed while battling a separate wildfire near Bordeaux Airport.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the wildfire situation as “very tense,” particularly in the Gironde region. France has requested assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, with firefighting aircraft expected from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Authorities also confirmed that evacuated neighborhoods would remain under police surveillance to help prevent looting while additional ground crews and aircraft continue firefighting operations.

Holidaymakers Describe Overnight Escape

Among those evacuated was David Morton, a headmaster from Gloucester, England, who was vacationing with his family in Petit Piquey on the Cap Ferret peninsula.

Morton told the BBC that emergency text alerts and landline warnings woke the family shortly after 3 a.m., prompting an immediate evacuation.

He described joining long lines of traffic moving away from the peninsula while emergency vehicles headed toward the advancing wildfire.

Passing the flames near Lège, he said the fire was “enormous” and watching an entire forest burn highlighted the scale of the emergency.

Despite the danger, Morton said the evacuation remained orderly, with residents and visitors cooperating calmly with emergency officials.

Spain Declares National Emergency

Wildfires have also intensified in central Spain, prompting Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska to declare a national emergency.

Major fires continue burning near Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias in the Madrid region, as well as Burgohondo in the neighboring province of Ávila.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the situation as “dramatic,” saying wildfires were ravaging thousands of hectares across multiple communities.

He said the Spanish government had deployed all available emergency and recovery resources.

Spanish emergency services reported that more than 10,000 people had been evacuated.

An update issued Friday morning said two of the fires remained out of control, although officials reported that their rate of spread had slowed in recent hours.

Authorities in both France and Spain continue urging residents and tourists to avoid affected areas while firefighters battle multiple large blazes under severe weather conditions.

This report is based on reporting by BBC News.

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Grian Serrano, 46, was rescued alongside his 8-year-old son and his 69-year-old mother after their eight-story apartment building collapsed in the city of Caraballeda, one of the areas hardest hit by the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes.

Bruised but alive, Serrano described their survival as extraordinary after the family became trapped beneath concrete and twisted steel.

“It is a miracle from God,” Serrano said, recalling how he dug through debris with his bare hands in complete darkness before two passersby helped free his son and mother.

Thousands Affected by Powerful Earthquakes

Government authorities said the twin earthquakes killed more than 1,700 people and injured over 5,000.

Hundreds of buildings either collapsed or sustained significant structural damage, with La Guaira suffering the greatest destruction. Damage was also reported across Caracas and the neighboring states of Carabobo, Miranda, Aragua and Yaracuy.

La Guaira, located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Caracas, is one of Venezuela’s most strategically important states. It is home to the country’s main international airport and second-largest seaport, while much of its population depends on tourism, commerce and transportation-related industries.

Memories of the 1999 Vargas Tragedy Return

The recent disaster revived painful memories for Serrano of Dec. 15, 1999, when torrential rainfall triggered catastrophic floods and landslides that devastated the region.

He recalled being awakened by screams after a nearby river overflowed, watching from his apartment window as floodwaters swept away trees, enormous boulders and vehicles carrying people desperately trying to escape.

Serrano fled to the roof of his apartment building with his mother, sister and their household employee, fearing the structure would collapse under the force of the rushing water and debris.

When the rain finally eased, the family crossed mud-filled streets littered with fallen trees and rocks to reach relatives living nearby.

According to Ángel Rangel, who directed rescue operations as head of Venezuela’s Civil Protection agency during the disaster, the 1999 floods and landslides claimed 782 lives, left another 2,000 people missing and affected approximately 250,000 residents.

Expert Points to Geological Risks

Still shaken after surviving two major disasters in the same region, Serrano believes La Guaira is cursed.

“It isn’t normal for such horrible things to happen in the same place,” he said.

Disaster specialist Ángel Rangel offered a scientific explanation, saying many buildings in La Guaira were constructed on ground formed over centuries by sediment washed down from the surrounding Ávila mountain range.

He said such terrain presents significant risks for construction and requires strict compliance with seismic-resistant engineering standards introduced after the powerful 1967 earthquake that struck Caracas.

Many of the buildings that collapsed in the recent earthquakes were built during the 1970s, and authorities have not yet determined whether they complied with those engineering requirements.

Looking Ahead After Losing Everything

Having lost his apartment and nearly all of his belongings, Serrano said he remains uncertain about what the future holds for his family.

One decision, however, has already been made.

After surviving two of Venezuela’s deadliest natural disasters in the same coastal region over a span of more than two decades, he says he will never again make La Guaira his home.

“That’s twice now,” Serrano said. “Sometimes I think if there’s a third time, it’s going to win the battle.”

Tags: Venezuela, La Guaira, Caracas, Grian Serrano, Earthquake, Vargas Tragedy, Natural Disaster, Ángel Rangel, Building Collapse, Civil Protection, Seismic Safety, Humanitarian Crisis

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