Wildfires have continued to rage across Southern Europe as the continent deals with one of its worst-ever forest fire outbreaks.Over 325,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in France and Spain as southwestern Europe battles with its worst fire outbreak in almost a century.In a press conference on Sunday, Laurent Nunez, France's interior minister, announced that 115,000 hectares of land had been burned by wildfires since the start of the year.A similar situation is ongoing in Spain as, according to information from the Copernicus European Forest Fire Information System, 119,458 hectares of land have been burned in the country as of July 22. This number is six times the amount of hectares that burned during the same timeframe last year.The fires have grown significantly since an extended heatwave and lack of water made the southwest of Europe a massive tinderbox..Last week a significant fire broke out near the French costal commune of Saumos while another fire also started in the nearby community of Biscarrosse.These communities are located near the popular tourist destination of Bordeaux, with the fire being about 15 kilometres from the urban centre, but local authorities have not yet issued the order to evacuate.In Spain, the fires have spread to more metropolitan areas as well, with wildfires in Villa del Prado, about 60 kilometres from Madrid, as well as fires in the regions of Castellón, Manises, and Valencia.Wildfires also pumped the brakes on the Tour de France cycling race as organizers had to shorten the final stage of the competition due to the fires.As of now the fires have killed 13 people, destroyed hundreds of homes, and burned a massive swath of the Mediterranean countryside.While France and Spain have been the two countries the hardest hit by the wildfires, countries like Portugal and Italy have also been affected, with Portugal experiencing multiple fires and Italy having to evacuate thousands in the southern part of the country.
