Key details to look out for in travel insurance as over half will not pay over wildfires

France and Spain have been experiencing a terrible time right now as mass evacuations have been occurring in the regions as wildfires continue to burn.

Locals and travellers alike have been impacted by this problem, which has seen authorities take action by mobilising a mass response to attempt to bring it under control.

As of right now, around 280,000 people evacuated from affected areas, per the BBC.

But the wildfires near Madrid and the southern French city of Bordeaux, have seen the worst of the devastation.

This includes closure of a hotel by the Bordeaux Airport, which reportedly saw UK holidaymakers woken at around 3.30am and informed that approaching smoke was causing its shutdown.

In light of these issues, the French government has urged visitors to stay away.

Spain and France have been going through a terrifying ordeal (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

As for your insurance, according to Anna-Marie Duthie, travel insurance expert at Defaqto, 'you may be covered for cancellation or curtailment' if your booking falls through after it has been confirmed.

"You may also be covered for additional travel and accommodation costs should your trip be disrupted due to a catastrophic event, if your insurer offers this cover or you've paid to include it," she said.

As for any additional costs incurred by the disruption, Chris Bose, director of general insurance policy at the Association of British Insurers (ABI) told the BBC: "If your travel plans are disrupted by a wildfire and your policy includes trip disruption cover then travel insurance may cover some of the resulting costs."

However, you need to make sure it's in your policy first, and not just assume it's there.

This is because Defaqto revealed that only half of policies include 'catastrophe' cover.

So, if your provider doesn't specify this, it could mean that wildfire cover isn't something they offer up.

Does your travel insurance cover you (Getty Stock Images)

Although, Duthie revealed that insurance firms are adapting to 'potential new and increasing risks involved in travel as a result' of issues like what we're seeing right now in Spain and France.

But she says it's unlikely insurance providers will change their policies, noting: "Current clauses may refer to 'severe' or 'extreme' weather, but the definitions for these can vary and currently no providers go as far as to specify criteria such as maximum temperatures."

But in the 'longer term there is a chance that we may end up seeing less insurable destinations and increased premiums'.

The nations have been having it tough right now as they continue to battle against the fires.

So much so that per the BBC, Sophie Brocas, prefect of the French department of Gironde, said: "I urge tourists not to come."

As for those already in the country, she allegedly requested they consider another area to stay.

So, if you're planning to travel to the impacted countries anytime soon, you may need to take into consideration just how disruptive the wildfires are, particularly when it comes to your travel insurance plan.

This is more so that you could end up having nowhere to stay at the drop of a hat if fires or smoke gets too close.

Because of this, the UK government recommends following listening to local authorities and emergency services, and to call 112 if you are in need of help.