SEVILLE, Spain — French President Emmanuel Macron called a crisis meeting Monday to coordinate efforts to fight the wildfires in southern France that have forced the evacuation of more than 250,000 people.The emergency session came as the active fire in the Gironde region of southwest France slowed down overnight into Monday, offering a first sign of relief after the flames burned more than 100,000 acres.The prefecture of Gironde said the situation overnight had remained stable, a welcomed change after the wildfire came close to the wine region city of Bordeaux over the weekend.No new evacuations were ordered on Monday.Over 220,000 residents were evacuated in the region alone.
But authorities took some precautionary steps, banning holiday camps for children, as Gironce is a popular tourist destination.On the ground, firefighters worked tirelessly to make progress, in a race against time, before a forecast surge in temperatures this week could complicate efforts to put out the fires.In a weekend social media post, Macron pledged long-term support for communities hit by the fires, saying: "We will rebuild, we will repair and we will be present for as long as necessary."In Spain, a fire in the region of Madrid, which has burnt over 60,000 acres, was still active on Monday.Firefighting crews were making progress in trying to keep the blaze under control, but strong wind gusts were complicating those efforts.That fire came close to another large blaze, in the region of Ávila, over the weekend.
That fire has burnt over 100,000 acres.Authorities said on Sunday the two large fires had been brought under control, after a difficult day on Saturday when authorities had openly said the two large fires were uncontained.A third major fire in eastern Spain, in the region of Castellón, has impacted about 75,000 people, with some of them evacuated, and others asked to remain at their properties.That wildfire is still active, although it has slowed down, and authorities hop...