France Seeks EU Help as 23,000 Evacuated
France has activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to combat rampant wildfires along the Atlantic coast, with tens of thousands evacuated in Gironde and Nouvelle-Aquitaine as firefighting aircraft and heavy-lift helicopters from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia head to assist. Spain has declared a national state of emergency in Madrid and Ávila over fires affecting thousands, while other regions including Sicily face severe wildfire conditions amid a broader European heatwave and firefighting efforts.