More than 300,000 people have fled their homes or holiday accommodation as major wildfires continue to spread across France and Spain, prompting one of the largest civilian evacuation operations in modern French history and the first nationwide wildfire emergency ever declared in Spain.
The largest fire remains in France’s Gironde region, where flames have advanced towards Bordeaux after days of extreme heat, drought and strong winds.
Authorities said more than 220,000 people have now been evacuated from the area, while another 30,000 people left parts of the neighbouring Landes region. In Spain, more than 90,000 people have been evacuated from areas around Madrid, Ávila, Toledo and Valencia, with further evacuation orders issued during the weekend.
Firefighters continue to battle dozens of active fires in both countries as weather conditions hamper efforts to contain the flames.
French authorities ordered another 55,000 residents to leave communities near Bordeaux overnight after the fire spread closer to the city. The blaze has burned about 42,000 hectares across Gironde, destroying forests, damaging homes and forcing the closure of key transport routes.
The A63 motorway linking Bordeaux with the Spanish border remains closed over a stretch of about 60 kilometres, while rail services south of Bordeaux have also been suspended.
Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave described the wildfire as being “at the gates of the metropolitan area”. A city spokesperson confirmed officials were examining every possible scenario, including a wider evacuation of Bordeaux if conditions worsen.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the situation remained difficult after another night of intense firefighting.
“The fire again became extremely virulent and unpredictable, generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area,” he wrote on X after visiting the region.
In an interview published by La Tribune, Nuñez said prolonged drought, repeated heatwaves, strong winds and heavy vegetation had allowed fires to spread rapidly once ignited. He added that evacuated residents and tourists would not return until conditions became safe.
France has deployed about 1,500 soldiers alongside thousands of firefighters. Military personnel are helping clear vegetation, build firebreaks and support emergency operations. Water-bombing aircraft continue to operate across the affected region.
President Emmanuel Macron said France would support affected communities for as long as necessary.
“We will rebuild,” Macron said.
Local farmers have also joined the response by supplying machinery and helping firefighters reach affected areas.
Emergency shelters across Bordeaux have received thousands of evacuees after exhibition halls and public buildings were converted into temporary accommodation.
The fires have also affected major sporting events. Organisers shortened the final stage of the Tour de France so police and emergency personnel could be reassigned to wildfire operations.
Spain continues to face multiple large fires across the country.
The government declared a national emergency, the first such declaration linked to wildfires in Spain.
The largest blazes remain west of Madrid and in Ávila province, where tens of thousands of people have left their homes. New fires also broke out near Valencia, including one that forced around 15,000 evacuations in Castellón as flames spread through the Sierra de Espadán Natural Park.
Authorities said a man in his seventies died after becoming trapped in his vehicle during a fire in Manises, near Valencia. The death marks the first confirmed fatality in Spain’s current wildfire emergency.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska warned that weather conditions continued to complicate firefighting efforts.
“Today we are rather more pessimistic than we were yesterday,” he told reporters.
“The weather conditions have not helped at all.”
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the coming days as “complex times ahead” and said 130,000 hectares had already burned across Spain this year, exceeding the country’s average annual total over the past decade.
Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso called the wildfire near the capital “the worst fire in the history of the region”.
Authorities reported road closures across Madrid, Ávila, Toledo, Castellón, Guadalajara, Huelva and Teruel as firefighters worked to protect towns and infrastructure.
According to Spanish authorities, more than 32 major forest fires have already been recorded this year, compared with seven during the same period in 2025.
European Union resources have also been mobilised.
France activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, allowing other member states to send firefighting aircraft, helicopters and specialist teams. According to the European Commission, Croatia is sending Canadair aircraft, Portugal is deploying Air Tractor planes, while the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania are providing helicopters and ground crews.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU had dispatched 11 aircraft and helicopters from its shared firefighting fleet to support France and Spain.
Scientists continue to link the scale of this year’s fires to prolonged drought and record temperatures across Europe.
According to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), climate change and persistent high-pressure systems have dried vegetation across much of the continent, creating conditions that allow fires to spread rapidly after ignition.
ECMWF research showed that drought developed across Europe around two months earlier this year than during the major wildfire season of 2022. Forecasts point to another heatwave for southern Europe, raising the risk of further wildfire outbreaks.
By Sunday, French authorities said almost 98,000 hectares had burned across the country since the beginning of the year, while Spain’s total reached about 130,000 hectares.
HT