Spain declares state of emergency and France seeks EU help as wildfires rage Wildfires fuelled by extreme heat and strong winds swept across western Europe on Friday, forcing thousands to evacuate in France, triggering a state of emergency in Spain's Madrid region and prompting Paris to seek emergency assistance from the European Union. Wildfires fanned by scorching temperatures and strong winds swept through parts of western Europe on Friday, triggering a state of emergency in Spain's Madrid region and prompting France to seek help from the European Union. French authorities have ordered thousands of tourists on the south-western Atlantic coast to leave campsites and holiday homes, as firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft raced to control the blazes.

The total area of land burnt so far this year in EU countries is the second largest on record, according to satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). Three firefighters have been killed as southern Europe endures more severe heat, with temperatures topping 40C in some areas. France has invoked the European Union's civil protection mechanism to ask for help, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, warning that the crisis remained "very intense".

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EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said on Thursday that the bloc was providing three water-bombing aircraft to France. Patrick Martineau, a 69-year-old resident of Le Porge, south of Bordeaux, said: "The gendarmes came and knocked on every door, the fire was about 500 metres away – we grabbed some things and left." France's south-east was also being hard hit, with dozens of fires flaring up and being fanned by the mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac, with officials saying around 25 houses had been destroyed since Tuesday. Thousands of emergency workers in Italy battled scores of fires in Sicily and the Calabria region, where a local official said arsonists had started fires by tying rags soaked in flammable liquid to the tails of stray cats to spread the flames.

One firefighter died after falling ill while battling the flames in Sicily, the interior minister said. Around Bordeaux, more than 20,000 people – mostly tourists staying in campsites and holiday lets – have been evacuated since Wednesday as a fire ravaged a seaside pine forest. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.

One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. The authorities said the fire had been contained on its northern flank but was not yet fully under control further south.

Firefighters were now battling "house by house" to protect the tourist hub of Lège-Cap-Ferret, regional wildfire chief Marc Vermeulen said. Two firefighters died on Tuesday tackling another blaze near Bordeaux Airport.