More than 375,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in France and Spain as both countries battle extensive wildfires amid a new spell of high temperatures. Nearly 260,000 residents have been evacuated in France and around 116,000 in Spain.
In southwestern France, the major wildfire in Gironde, near Bordeaux, stabilised overnight without any significant deterioration. However, authorities have warned that it remains highly unpredictable, as strong winds are hampering firefighting efforts and the blaze has moved close to the Bordeaux metropolitan area—within 15 km, according to the BBC. The fire has burned around 420,000 stremmas, an area roughly four times the size of Paris, and destroyed about 240 homes. Around 2,500 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel and 1,200 police officers are operating in the area, while dozens of firefighters have been injured.
President Emmanuel Macron has convened an emergency meeting on the wildfires today, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is visiting the fire-affected areas of Valencia.
In Spain, some fire fronts west of Madrid have been contained, but new wildfires have broken out near Valencia and Toledo, prompting further evacuations. In Valencia, local authorities said one blaze had exceeded firefighting capacity. Since the beginning of 2026, Spain has recorded 32 major wildfires, which have burned more than 1.5 million stremmas, compared with 241,330 stremmas during the corresponding period of 2025.
Sources: Guardian, BBC
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