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).The blazes are breaking out faster because of the current European drought, made more severe by human-caused climate change, scientists from the World Weather Attribution group said in a study published this week.Preventing 'convergence'Firefighters tackling blazes around Madrid are trying to prevent the fires from converging, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said.Care homes evacuatedMore than 430 elderly people and people with disabilities were evacuated from five care homes in the Madrid region.Spain asks for EU helpSpain requested four firefighting aircraft through the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism, the bloc's system for coordinating disaster assistance among member states, to help tackle wildfires near Madrid, the interior ministry said.Greece has agreed to send two Canadair water-bombing planes in response to this request, it added.40,000 evacuated in FranceSome 40,000 people have been evacuated in southwestern France due to a wildfire that has ravaged more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) and is now "the largest fire of the season," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told AFP."A total of 80 homes have burnt, around 50 of which have been completely destroyed," he said, adding there were no casulties reported so far.32 fires burning in France France currently has 32 active wildfires of varying intensity, the interior minister said."We have passed the threshold of 50,000 hectares that have burned since January 1 of this year," said Nunez, adding that the figure was nearly three times that of last year.Two fires creep toward MadridTwo wildfires burning less than 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Madrid remained uncontained and out of control, regional authorities said."Meteorological conditions, fundamentally the wind, will complicate firefighting operations this Friday," the Madrid regional government said in a post on X.'Dramatic' situationSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government had deployed "all available resources" to fight the fires."We are living through a dramatic situation, not only in various Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighbouring countries," he wrote on X.Hundreds flee by boat in FranceHundreds of people fled by boat from the Cap Ferret peninsula in western France on Friday, as authorities ordered it evacuated in the face of a rapidly advancing wildfire.The blaze had devoured an area nearly twice the size of Manhattan by early on Friday.burs-yad/sbk/st