Firefighters confront expanding wildfires in France and Spain amid rising heat
Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from tourist sites on France's Atlantic coast as a heat wave threatens a large blaze near Bordeaux, while Spain battles its biggest recorded wildfire and a fourth heat wave.
French authorities ordered the evacuation of almost 4,000 visitors from campsites, holiday villages and leisure parks around Lacanau on the Atlantic coast as temperatures rose, putting pressure on firefighters fighting a 420-square-kilometre blaze west of Bordeaux. The fire, which has been described as "stabilized, not fixed," could reignite if heat and low humidity persist.
"We are at a point of fragility," said Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for France's national firefighters federation, adding that crews would continue attacking the fire despite the forecast rise in temperatures.
Firefighters and military engineers have completed 103 kilometres of firebreaks and are working to contain the perimeter, while 93 firefighters have been injured. The A63 highway remains partially closed and rail traffic south of Bordeaux is suspended, except for the route toward Toulouse.
In the neighboring Landes region, authorities declared a separate wildfire "fixed," allowing about 15,000 evacuees to return to their homes, though officials warned that hot spots and dry conditions could still trigger flare-ups.
The national weather service issued a yellow heat warning for Gironde, forecasting inland temperatures of 33-35 °C and southeast winds. Across France, more than 116,000 hectares have burned this year, according to the Interior Ministry.
Spain is confronting its largest recorded wildfire, a blaze in Ávila that has consumed over 500 square kilometres, while other fires near Madrid and in Castellón remain active. The country entered its fourth heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 °C in some areas. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said night-long firefighting efforts left him "reasonably positive," but cautioned that conditions could worsen.
Authorities have evacuated roughly 79,000 people and ordered another 30,000 to stay indoors, prompting the first national emergency declaration for wildfires in Spain. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for a national pact to address wildfire risks linked to climate change.