{"id":1114248,"date":"2026-07-27T13:55:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1114248\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T13:55:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:55:28","slug":"europe-wildfires-photos-show-huge-areas-of-spain-and-france-destroyed-as-rare-fire-cloud-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1114248\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe wildfires: Photos show huge areas of Spain and France destroyed as rare fire cloud looms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iOIawn\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iOIawn\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iOIawn\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"sc-1uza6dc-1 eRQajs\">Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong>Read more<\/p>\n<p>Photos from Spain and France show the widespread destruction caused by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/europe\/france-spain-bordeaux-wildfires-europe-map-live-updates-b3021950.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the massive wildfires in both countries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The fires have burned through hundreds of thousands of acres of land and forced the large-scale evacuations of residents.<\/p>\n<p>Enormous areas of the countryside have been destroyed, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/europe\/spain-wildfires-map-latest-madrid-b3021871.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">homes and businesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>More than 300,000 people have been displaced.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/europe\/fire-cloud-france-wildfires-bordeaux-firefighters-b3022012.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a rare fire cloud has formed<\/a> over the city of Bordeaux \u2013 a rare phenomenon typically witnessed during volcanic eruptions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis smoke cloud generates its own weather system, causing anything in its path to spontaneously combust &#8230; It is unprecedented in France,\u201d said Eric Brocardi, a spokesperson for the National Firefighters Federation of France.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287218398...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"This aerial view shows damaged houses in a burnt area in the town of Le Porge, France\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>This aerial view shows damaged houses in a burnt area in the town of Le Porge, France (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287216479...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The ruins of a burnt-out warehouse following a wildfire in Casavieja, 100km south-west of Madrid\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>The ruins of a burnt-out warehouse following a wildfire in Casavieja, 100km south-west of Madrid (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287123049...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Smoke billowing from a wilfire in Burgohondo, west of Madrid\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Smoke billowing from a wilfire in Burgohondo, west of Madrid (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785160489_348_download...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Firefighters battle a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Spain\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Firefighters battle a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Spain (AP)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287197612...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A burnt-out vehicle is seen following a wildfire in Chapineria, 50km west of Madrid\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>A burnt-out vehicle is seen following a wildfire in Chapineria, 50km west of Madrid (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287136436...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Firefighters battle a forest fire in Saint-Jean-d'Illac, France\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Firefighters battle a forest fire in Saint-Jean-d&#8217;Illac, France (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287186390...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The charred remains of a young deer lie on the ground following a wildfire in the Burguillo reservoir area near Navaluenga, 100km west of Madrid\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>The charred remains of a young deer lie on the ground following a wildfire in the Burguillo reservoir area near Navaluenga, 100km west of Madrid (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287125665...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Water-bombing helicopter, Airbus Helicopter H125, drops water over a burning area during a wildfire in front of Barjols, southeastern France\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Water-bombing helicopter, Airbus Helicopter H125, drops water over a burning area during a wildfire in front of Barjols, southeastern France (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/France_Wildfires_29_55.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A firefighter gestures next to burning trees as a wildfire rages near Marcheprime, outside Bordeaux\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>A firefighter gestures next to burning trees as a wildfire rages near Marcheprime, outside Bordeaux (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-26T163341Z_1998629830_RC2SLMA6A6G4_RTRMADP_3_EUROPE-WEATHER-WILDFIRE-SPAIN.JPG\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A plane flies as smoke rises from a wildfire in La Vall d'Uixo, Castellon, Spain\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>A plane flies as smoke rises from a wildfire in La Vall d&#8217;Uixo, Castellon, Spain (Reuters)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/APTOPIX_Spain_Wildfires_44125.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Firefighters battle a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, west of Madrid\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Firefighters battle a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, west of Madrid (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287073264...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Firefighters burn vegetation to create a fuel-free buffer zone as they fight a huge wildfire in Marcheprime, west of Bordeaux\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Firefighters burn vegetation to create a fuel-free buffer zone as they fight a huge wildfire in Marcheprime, west of Bordeaux (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287218444...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"This aerial view shows damaged houses in a burnt area in the French town of Le Porge\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>This aerial view shows damaged houses in a burnt area in the French town of Le Porge (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287189715...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A large pine tree with its hollowed trunk still burning from the inside, is seen in a scorched forest following a wildfire near La Adrada, 95km west of Madrid\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>A large pine tree with its hollowed trunk still burning from the inside, is seen in a scorched forest following a wildfire near La Adrada, 95km west of Madrid (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287197297...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Burnt-out vehicles are seen in an industrial estate following a wildfire in Chapineria, Spain\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Burnt-out vehicles are seen in an industrial estate following a wildfire in Chapineria, Spain (AFP\/Getty)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/France_Wildfires_76641.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Firefighters battle a wildfire near Marcheprime, France\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Firefighters battle a wildfire near Marcheprime, France (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2287122718...jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The 220,000 people evacuated due to the massive wildfire in France's Gironde region will not be able to return home \u2018until the fire has been brought under control\u2019, the local prefect said\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>The 220,000 people evacuated due to the massive wildfire in France&#8217;s Gironde region will not be able to return home \u2018until the fire has been brought under control\u2019, the local prefect said (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1114249,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5174],"tags":[17943,7029,728,129734,2000,299,5187,252,44888,17944,741],"class_list":["post-1114248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-eu","tag-bestof","tag-climate","tag-environment","tag-essential","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-european","tag-fire","tag-horizontal","tag-topix","tag-weather"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116992292301624959","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1114248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1114248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1114248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1114249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1114248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1114248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1114248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}