Wildfires force mass evacuations in France and Spain (VIDEOS)

A total of 80,000 people have fled to safety in both countries, as smoke and fire close in on resort towns Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from resorts on France’s southwestern coast, while the Spanish capital of Madrid is battling its worst wildfire in history, as southern Europe burns in one of its hottest summers on record.Authorities in France ordered the total evacuation of Cap Ferret on Friday, commanding around 40,000 people to leave the popular resort area. The peninsula had been blanketed in a thick orange haze since Wednesday, when a fire that broke out inland near Saumos began spreading westward to the Atlantic coast.While thousands of residents and tourists fled Cap Ferret and surrounding areas on Thursday, boats ferried hundreds of remaining holidaymakers off the peninsula on Friday morning, as flames encroached on the only road leading to the mainland.Some 800 firefighters, backed by multiple water-bombing planes deployed by the European Commission were battling the blaze as of Friday afternoon. More than 12,500 hectares of forest have been burned.The sky is now completely engulfed by massive, billowing clouds of dark brown and orange smoke as the wild...