Video footage shows horses fleeing from flames and smoke, highlighting the severe wildfires affecting southwestern France and parts of Spain. Western Europe has registered its hottest June, with extreme temperatures fueling the fires in France and Spain, causing about 330,000 people to evacuate.
Equestrian Center Takes Action
In southwestern France, a video captures horses running down a street in Biscarrosse, released by equestrian center staff to ensure their survival. The smoke, heat, and flames made it impossible to evacuate by trailers. Marine Champeval, manager of the Ecuries d’en Hill stables, explained that instinct guided the horses to safety, though around 10 remained in pastures. All the horses were eventually safe.
A Facebook post from the stables mentioned they cannot return the horses just yet as the site’s storage shed, shelters, and fences were destroyed. The post included an online appeal, raising over 11,000 euros ($12,500) as of Tuesday.
Impact of the Fires
The footage from July 23 has gained over one million views. French authorities have noted the fires’ “exceptional intensity” in Gironde and southern France. Remi Lassoureille, who oversees fire efforts in the Gironde region, reported that approximately 42,000 hectares have burned, destroying 240 homes. Over 2,000 firefighters work to control the fires, which have stabilized, but flare-ups continue near Le Porge and dunes north of Cap Ferret.
Officials warned that smoldering vegetation and rising temperatures might spark new fires. French President Emmanuel Macron described the wildfires near Bordeaux as the worst since World War II. Nearly 4,000 were evacuated on Tuesday from various locations on France’s Atlantic coast.
Spain Declares National Emergency
In Spain, some 79,000 people have been evacuated, and another 30,000 were instructed to stay home as the government declared a national emergency for wildfires. Blazes in wooded hills west of Madrid threatened to merge into a massive fire. Further evacuations occurred in Castellón, while a fire in Ávila set a record as Spain’s largest, covering over 193 square miles.
This year, wildfires in Spain have burned 590 square miles, a significant increase over the same period last year.