News

Fire emergency in France and Spain: Order of Malta assisting displaced people

With the devastating wildfires affecting several areas of France and Spain, Order of Malta rescuers and volunteers have been deployed to provide relief, shelter and psychological support to the evacuated populations in the fire-ravaged regions.

In France, wildfires in the Gironde and Landes departments have forced thousands to evacuate their houses, necessitating rapid intervention.

In Gironde, at the request of the authorities, the Order of Malta Departmental Intervention Units have set up and managed various Emergency Reception Centres, including one in the Bordeaux Exhibition Centre which provides shelter for over 5,000 people. As well as distributing basic necessities such as food, water, blankets and hygiene kits, the teams are offering psychological support, evacuating the elderly and those with reduced mobility to hospitals, and providing  administrative assistance, using the Sainte-Fleur care centre in Bordeaux as a logistics base for operators.

In nearby Landes, the Order is managing five emergency centres completely independently, setting up hundreds of field beds with the help of SAMU 33 (Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente) and healthcare personnel. Some 50 rescuers from over 15 departmental units are working in shifts every day.

In Spain, fires threaten the Madrid region. The proximity of the fire has led to the evacuation of the guests of the Order of Malta residence in Aldea del Fresno. Thanks to the promptness of the rescuers, all the elderly residents were saved and, although the surrounding vegetation was devastated, the main structure was not damaged. The Order’s Spanish Association expressed profound gratitude to the firefighters, police and volunteers for their tireless work in containing the flames and for their commitment to protecting the community.