Wildfires across Spain and France have forced more than 250,000 people to evacuate and left France with a near-record 98,000 hectares burned. France has deployed military aircraft (an A400M with a 20-tonne drop capacity), increased troops to 1,500 and sent firefighters from Paris to aid suppression efforts. Spain reported one fatality in Valencia and up to 25,000 hectares burned west of Madrid. Authorities warned that shifting winds and weather could complicate containment and evacuation operations.
Europe Wildfires: Historic Blaze in France, Mass Evacuations and Rising Response in Spain
Firefighters have marshalled every resource to tackle the blazes - including water from this swimming pool in El Tiemblo, 80 kilometres west of Madrid (Cesar MANSO)
Wildfires sweeping large areas of Spain and France have forced mass evacuations, damaged vast tracts of forest and prompted an expanded emergency response from both governments.
Key Developments
Scale and Evacuations: Authorities in both countries say more than 250,000 people have been evacuated overall. The French government reported about 197,000 people moved from areas near Bordeaux, while Spain's interior ministry said roughly 60,000 people were evacuated from villages west of Madrid (an earlier estimate had been 70,000).
Record Area Burned in France: Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said fires have consumed nearly 98,000 hectares (about 242,163 acres) across France — a "historic record" — with large, active blazes in Gironde and Landes.
France: Reinforcements and Equipment
Paris has stepped up its response: an A400M military transport plane equipped with a dispensing kit capable of releasing up to 20 tonnes of water or retardant carried out missions over a forest near Lacanau. The government also ordered 500 additional soldiers into the southwest wildfire zone, bringing deployed troop numbers to 1,500. Defence officials said soldiers will help evacuate residents and protect properties left temporarily unoccupied.
Around 100 firefighters from the Paris Fire Brigade were also deployed to the southwest to assist with wildfire suppression operations, the brigade's commander Arnaud de Cacqueray told reporters.
"We will rebuild, we will repair and we will be there for as long as is needed," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, pledging sustained support for affected communities.
Spain: Fatality and Areas Affected
Spanish authorities said a wildfire in the eastern city of Valencia killed one person before that blaze was brought under control. West of Madrid, fires have razed up to 25,000 hectares — more than twice the area of the city of Paris — including nearly 10,000 hectares in the Madrid region and between 13,000 and 15,000 hectares in the neighbouring province of Avila.
"The priority is to save your lives and protect inhabited areas," Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said while visiting a village in the fire zone, warning of "some complex hours ahead" as winds remain unpredictable.
Impact on Events and Local Communities
Organisers of the Tour de France shortened the race's final stage from Thoiry to Paris as a gesture of national solidarity with communities affected by the blazes. Local authorities continue to monitor weather and wind shifts closely, which could complicate firefighting efforts and containment.
Situation Outlook: Officials stress that while some fires have lost intensity overnight in places, several blazes remain uncontrolled and conditions remain volatile. Emergency services, military units and volunteer crews are continuing containment and evacuation operations.
Sources: Official statements from French and Spanish authorities and AFP reporting.
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