Locals and tourists evacuated from villages threatened by wildfires rest at the Bordeaux Exhibition Centre in Bordeaux, southwestern France. (EPA Images pic)BORDEAUX: France fought an "unpredictable" wildfire close to Bordeaux on Sunday while Spain warned of "difficult hours" in its own fiery battle, with evacuations from danger zones in both countries mounting to well over 300,000 people.The forest infernos, raging for days unchecked in France's southwest and in central Spain near Madrid, were among the worst each nation has seen in peacetime.France's major fire remained unchecked and volatile -- driven by gusts that in some cases were generated by the turbulent blazes themselves.Spanish officials, however, voiced optimism they were starting to get a grip on some fires -- though on the weekend they were confronted with a new fire front, near the eastern coastal city of Valencia, which forced 15,000 people to flee."Difficult hours lie ahead admittedly," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said as he visited the fire zone in Avila province west of Madrid, though he pointed to some "positive" indications towards containment.Other EU countries have been sending help to Spain and France in the form of aircraft, fire crews and vehicles.Scientists say that such weather emergencies are being made more extreme and frequent by climate change.The disasters, coming at the peak of the summer vacation period when tourists flock to both countries, were fuelled by woodlands parched to tinder by successive heatwaves and lack of rain since May."When we flew into Madrid we could see the fire very close to the airport," said Pilar, a 69-year-old New Zealand tourist. She said she was carrying a mask in case the smoke situation in the city became worse.Letisha Lucas, a 33-year-old tourist from Canada -- which has its own wildfires happening -- said the smoke smell was immediately obvious on arrival in Madrid "and very irritating on the throat".
She added that the proximity of the blaze left her "kind of nervous".'Extremely intense' fireFrance's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned "the situation remains very unfavourable" for fires across the country, where 250,000 people had been evacuated.The main fire in the southwest Gironde region, where Bordeaux is located, was "extremely intense and unpredictable... generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeau… De la Fuente said the evacuees and those confined at home had 'the support of the entire country, just as we do when playing football'.
(EPA Images pic) MADRID: Spain's World Cup-winning coach Luis de la Fuente on Sunday visited evacuees from the wildfires which have torn through the Madrid region over recent days.De la Fuente said he was hoping to boost the mood of nearly 300 displaced residents during his visit to Las Rozas, west of the Spanish capital, as well as meeting with volunteers and emergency personnel."It's everyone's obligation to help and to lift their spirits in these tragic moments," De la Fuente told Spanish broadcaster TVE at the Marazuela sports complex."I'm proud to be here in these moments with them... it makes us more human."De la Fuente said all of the evacuees and others confined at home have "the support of the entire country, the same as we do when we are playing football".Some evacuated families are also staying at the Spanish football federation's training facilities in Las Rozas.Around 75,000 people have been displaced by the fires outside the capital and in neighbouring areas, as well as in the Valencia region.De la Fuente led Spain to their second World Cup triumph this summer, with La Roja defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final on July 19 in New Jersey.
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