What to Know About the Deadly Wildfires in Western Europe

More than 300,000 people were evacuated and at least one person killed because of wildfires in France and Spain, with fire crews battling the blazes for several days.In France, a major fire broke out in Saumos in Gironde last Wednesday, and a separate fire began near Biscarrosse in the Landes department the next day. Several fires broke out in Spain last Wednesday, including one in Toledo that spread into Madrid’s Villa del Prado and another in Ávila. Fires in Madrid, Castellón, and Manises broke out in the following days.Both countries had already faced deadly wildfires earlier in the summer.Here’s what to know about the wildfires affecting France and Spain.What has been the impact?Fire crews were dealing with a 280-km perimeter of fire covering 77,000 hectares across Madrid, Ávila, and Toledo, Spain’s Secretary-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies Virginia Barcones told state broadcaster TVE.The Spanish regions of Madrid, Ávila, and Valencia were among the worst affected areas. The government declared a national emergency in Madrid and Ávila on Thursday evening, extending it to Toledo on Saturday. It was Spain’s first such declaration over wildfires and only the second ov...