Massive wildfires across France, Spain, Italy, and Scotland force mass evacuations
Major wildfires in France, Spain, and Italy have forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate, while a separate major blaze in Scotland's Cairngorms National Park also prompts evacuations.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
More than a quarter of a million people in France and Spain have been ordered to leave their homes as huge wildfires burn out of control. Italy has also been badly hit. Officials in Spain announced one person has died in the east of the country, and a blaze near Madrid is beyond the capacity of firefighters to contain.
In southwest France, the entire Cap Ferret Peninsula and nearby La Porche have been evacuated. Tens of thousands have also left areas near Bordeaux as flames approach the outer suburbs. Near the town of Biscarrosse, another fire is out of control. An American tourist, Rebecca Pappin, became trapped there with her children after missing an evacuation alarm. She said: 'It is scary, and the thing is that the main roads are on fire, so I can't leave the city.'
Local people described the devastation. One resident, whose family home was destroyed, said: 'Yes, all this is my home. Well, it used to be my home. I don't see anything anymore. I see desolation.'
The scale of the fires has been linked to human-induced climate change. An exceptionally wet winter led to high plant growth, which was then dried out by the hottest start to the year on record. Spain's prime minister called for international action, saying: 'We should work on a state agreement against the climate emergency, because science is telling us that temperatures are going to get more intense.'
In Scotland, a wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park, now in its 11th day, has prompted a major incident declaration. Police evacuated homes around the village of Nethy Bridge near Aviemore after wind changes accelerated the fire. First Minister John Swinney described the situation as 'very serious' and the Scottish Government has asked the UK Government for military aerial support.
Both Spain and France have requested emergency help from the European Union, which has sent seven water bombing aircraft. The fear is that another heatwave is on the way.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Human-induced climate change was blamed for the scale of the wildfires. | |
| One person died in eastern Spain due to wildfires. | |
| Over 250,000 people in France and Spain were ordered to evacuate. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West focused on the human impact of the wildfires, featuring personal stories of a trapped American tourist and a local whose family home was destroyed. The report also highlighted the role of human-induced climate change, quoting Spain's prime minister. It gave significant coverage to the separate wildfire in Scotland's Cairngorms, including the declaration of a major incident and the request for military assistance.
- “It is scary, and the thing is that the main roads are on fire, so I can't leave the city.”
- “Yes, all this is my home. Well, it used to be my home. I don't see anything anymore. I see desolation.”
- “We should work on a state agreement against the climate emergency, because science is telling us that temperatures are going to get more intense”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.