French President: Mobilizing all civil and military resources to combat raging forest fires

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Saturday that France has mobilized all civilian and military resources to combat the wildfires that have consumed nearly 100,000 hectares of French territory, marking a historic toll. Macron wrote on X that firefighting aircraft of the Canadair and Dash types, as well as helicopters, had been deployed, alongside reinforcements from across France. He thanked firefighters, military personnel, security forces, farmers, and business owners involved in the firefighting efforts, emphasizing that “the entire nation stands with the affected residents and families.”

He also expressed appreciation for the support provided by Romania, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, affirming that “European solidarity is clearly evident in times of crisis.”

According to official French data, the fires have so far destroyed 98,000 hectares of land, an area described as record-breaking.

French authorities have deployed A400M military transport aircraft to participate in wildfire suppression operations for the first time. The aircraft carried out its first mission over a forest fire in the Lacanau area in southwestern France, equipped with a system allowing it to drop 20 tons of water or fire retardant to help contain the flames.

Meanwhile, Sophie Brocas, an administrative official in the Gironde region, stated that the fire risk remains “extremely high,” despite a reduction in intensity due to lower temperatures and higher humidity levels.

In neighboring Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed that firefighting teams continue their efforts “to save lives” in the blazes raging west of Madrid, while authorities reported one fatality in another fire in the east of the country.

The wildfires in Spain have forced approximately 60,000 people to evacuate their homes, according to the Ministry of the Interior, while local officials had earlier estimated the number of displaced individuals at around 70,000, in one of the worst wildfire waves the country has ever experienced.