Spain declared a national state of emergency on Friday for the first time due to wildfires, while France requested assistance from the European Union to fight a fire on the Atlantic coast, after a severe heat wave fueled blazes across Europe and forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes. French authorities ordered the full evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist destination on the Atlantic coast that sees heavy traffic during the summer, as smoke and flames approached homes. Officials reported that about 63,000 people had been evacuated from the area, and many were transported to safety by boat. Authorities in Spain evacuated more than 10,000 people from mountain towns west of Madrid, the capital. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska explained that firefighters were working to prevent three fires from merging in the region and the neighboring province of Avila. The area has a high population density, as many residents of the capital own second homes there. Marlaska pointed out that this was one of the reasons for the government's decision to declare a national state of emergency, allowing for better coordination of the response, stressing that the intensity of the fires and the hot weather accompanied by strong winds also contributed to the decision. This is the first time Spain has taken such a measure due to wildfires; the last time the country declared the same emergency level was during a widespread nationwide power outage last year. In the town of Navaluenga in the province of Avila, residents wearing masks due to the smoke watched firefighting helicopters draw water from the town's river.