France and Spain Battle Massive Wildfires: 220,000 Evacuated as Heatwave Looms

France: fires near Bordeaux

Since 22 July, wildfires in southwestern France have burned 42,000 hectares of forest and scrubland, an area larger than Cologne, and forced over 220,000 people, including many foreign tourists, to flee. The larger of two blazes near Bordeaux has stabilized for two days but remains unpredictable; the smaller fire near Biscarrosse was brought under control on 27 July, allowing 15,000 evacuees to return. Amid warnings of a fresh heatwave, authorities ordered a precautionary evacuation of 4,000 people from campsites and holiday settlements in Lacanau on 28 July. President Emmanuel Macron, who described the crisis as the country's worst since the Second World War, told responders on 27 July: "We will win this fight."

Spain: blazes across multiple regions

Spanish firefighters have gained ground against multiple large fires across central and eastern regions. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on 28 July that "we are gradually seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," after the spread of blazes near Toledo and Valencia was slowed overnight. Some 70,000 people in the Valencia region and just under 100,000 around Ávila, Toledo and Madrid have been evacuated or confined; Spain's interior ministry put the figure for Madrid and the neighbouring provinces at about 90,000. At least 14 people have died nationwide this year, including 13 in a fire near Almería two weeks ago that killed nine tourists. About 50 highways and main roads were closed, and the government declared affected areas disaster zones to release emergency funds.

We are gradually seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against these fires.

Record heat and climate link

The fires are unfolding against a backdrop of record heat. France's average summer temperature for June through August has already reached 22.1°C, the highest on record, and 91,700 hectares have burned so far in 2026, surpassing the 66,400 hectares lost in the summer of 2022. Scientists are debating whether the Bordeaux blaze generated pyrocumulonimbus clouds, rare, fire-driven thunderstorms that create their own wind and lightning. Jason Müller of the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research said such phenomena are "very rare in Europe," and Christophe Chantepy, a fire expert at France's National Forestry Office, warned they make fire behavior "unpredictable" by flinging burning debris from the smoke column.

Travel disruptions around Bordeaux

The fires have disrupted the peak summer tourist season around Bordeaux. Authorities suspended camps, sports events and cultural activities across the Gironde department and urged holidaymakers not to travel to the region. The local chamber of commerce told BFM TV that tourism had largely ground to a halt. Karolina Wojtal, Germany spokesperson for the European Consumer Centre, advised that travelers can cancel package holidays free of charge when smoke, ash or nearby flames constitute "unavoidable, extraordinary circumstances." A court ruling from 2024, she noted, means an official travel warning is not required if media reports and other evidence point to a significant impairment.

The distance between the specific holiday location and the fire is among the factors.

International assistance

Germany dispatched two transport helicopters and an A400M aircraft carrying equipment to the Bordeaux area on 27 July, with operations initially authorized for five days. Additional firefighting planes from Saxony-Anhalt were also expected. Fire crews from across France and other European countries, totaling 2,750 personnel, are working alongside 18 water-bomber aircraft, 1,500 soldiers and 1,440 police. Firebreaks were cut to prevent the larger blaze from spreading further.