NewsWorld newsWildfiresLIVEUpdated 1 min agoMore than 200,000 people in France and Spain have been evacuated as wildfires continue to burn through large parts of both countriesFirefighters battle a wildfire in Cebreros area, near Ávila, around 50 miles west of Madrid on July 24(Image: AFP via Getty Images)Huge wildfires are ravaging parts of south-west France and central Spain, forcing the evacuation of an estimated 200,000 people including British tourists.Around 141,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the Gironde and Landes departments in France, the French interior ministry said. Some even fled by boat as flames swept through the popular tourist area on France's Atlantic coast.In central Spain, 60,000 have been forced from their homes in towns west of Madrid, the Spanish interior ministry said. The wildfires in the capital and the nearby province of Ávila has forced the government to declare a national emergency for wildfires for the first time.View PostView PostView PostToday22:57 BSTHuge wildfire began at tourist spot near BordeauxThe huge wildfire in south-west France that has swept across 140 square kilometres began on Wednesday near Cap Ferret peninsula.Located just 37 miles west of Bordeaux, the peninsula normally offers stunning landscapes and sandy beaches as well as oyster-farming villages and upmarket resorts.Today22:51 BSTOver 140,000 people evacuated in south-west FranceAround 141,000 have been evacuated from their homes in the Gironde and Landes departments in south-west France as a large wildfire ravaged swathes of land, the French interior ministry said.Speaking to French TV channel Tf1, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has swept across 140 square kilometres, with 110,000 people fleeing their homes in the Gironde region, and is now heading towards the city of Bordeaux."We learned in the middle of the afternoon that, following the wind shift, it had become a large, self-sustaining fire that is extremely difficult to bring under control," he said."It is now moving east, toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area. We are going to reorganise our response so we can fight it from the ground and prevent it from advancing toward Bordeaux."Today22:38 BSTSpanish government declare national emergencyIn Spain, the government has declared a national emergency for wildfires for the first time, with Regional President Isabel Díaz-Ayuso calling the wildfire near Madrid the worst in the capital's history.The blazes in Madrid and the nearby province of Ávila have prompted the evacuation of some 60,000 people from towns west of the capital.Two major fires near Madrid merged into one single blaze that had quickly charred 11.5 square miles by Friday afternoon.Francisco Martín, the central government representative for the region of Madrid, said another 20,000 people have been ordered to shelter at home in towns west of the capital.Martín said more evacuations may come and that the priority now is to protect the town of San Lorenzo, the home of the Escorial, Philip II's 16th-century royal palace and monastery.‌Today22:38 BSTMadrid wildfire 'beyond our capability to extinguish', says officialCarlos Novillo, emergency management chief of Madrid's regional government, said this evening: "Right now, this fire is at a critical moment. It is beyond our capability to extinguish, with the head of the fire exceeding containment capabilities as it advances."In this zone, we cannot attack the fire. Efforts are focused on protecting population centres and reinforcing the right flank - which is greatest concern because of a shift in the wind expected today."‌