Tens of thousands of residents and holidaymakers have been evacuated from coastal and inland areas of south-western France and central Spain as wildfires fanned by high winds and extreme heat swept through tourist zones, forcing many to escape by boat. The largest evacuation centred on France’s Cap Ferret peninsula west of Bordeaux, where authorities ordered the complete departure of the area and ferried hundreds across the Bay of Arcachon.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday that 40,000 people had been evacuated from the Gironde department and another 23,000 from the neighbouring Landes region, where a separate major blaze threatened Biscarrosse. In Spain, the government declared a national emergency after fires west of Madrid prompted the removal of at least 10,000 residents, though some sources placed the figure closer to 20,000; officials have yet to release a consolidated count. Two firefighters died on Tuesday while tackling a blaze near Bordeaux airport, and three more have been killed across southern Europe during the current heatwave, according to national authorities.

The fires have consumed thousands of hectares: Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas reported 8,700 hectares scorched around Cap Ferret, while officials in Landes estimated 2,500 hectares burned near Biscarrosse. In Spain, two blazes merged into a single fire that had devoured roughly 30 square kilometres by Friday afternoon. Reports of destroyed structures vary, with French officials acknowledging at least 80 homes damaged or destroyed in the Gironde alone.

France requested assistance through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, securing water-bombing aircraft from Croatia and Portugal and heavy-lift helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Spain also received pledges of planes from Italy and Greece. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the situation as “dramatic,” and Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz-Ayuso called it the worst wildfire in the region’s history.

Firefighting efforts continued under unfavourable conditions, with forecasters warning of strong winds and temperatures persisting above 35°C. Regional authorities said the fires remained out of control, though their overnight advance had been limited. No further casualties were reported in France on Friday, and officials stated that the evacuation of Cap Ferret had concluded calmly.