Wildfires force over 330,000 evacuations across France and Spain, blaze near Bordeaux still out of control
Fires in Gironde advanced to within 30 km of Bordeaux, pushing total French evacuees past 200,000. In Spain, blazes near Madrid and Valencia have displaced 130,000 more and claimed one life.
France's catastrophic fire front
More than 200,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes in the southwestern French departments of Gironde and Landes, where out-of-control wildfires are being driven by wind gusts of about 40 km/h. Authorities described the night of 25 July as "almost apocalyptic," and a pyrocumulonimbus cloud formed above the flames late Saturday, effectively allowing the fire to create its own weather. On Sunday morning an additional 55,000 residents of Marcheprime, Cestas, Mios, Biganos and Le Barp were told to evacuate, bringing the total number of displaced past 200,000. At least 153 homes have been destroyed in the commune of La Porge, according to the mayor. SNCF suspended rail traffic south of Bordeaux, and sections of the A63 motorway were closed. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told La Tribune that containment would be a prolonged struggle.
The fight against the fire in Gironde will be a long battle.
- A400M water bomber deployed operationally for the first time over Lacanau, France
- Spain declares national state of emergency; 45,000 ha burned near Madrid
- 55,000 additional evacuations ordered in Gironde, total French evacuees pass 200,000
- Pyrocumulonimbus cloud forms over Gironde fires
- Three arson suspects arrested in Gironde; Germany pledges firefighting assets
Spain: two fronts strain emergency services
West of Madrid, a separate fire has consumed 45,000 hectares (nearly three times the area of the Dutch island of Texel) and forced about 115,000 people to evacuate, with roughly 30,000 more under lockdown orders. The Spanish government declared a national state of emergency on 25 July. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the affected zone and warned that uncertain winds remained the biggest threat. In the Valencia region, another fire north of Vall d'Uixó led to 15,000 evacuations, left one person dead and six injured, and a man in his 70s was found dead inside a car in a ravine. This year Spain has already lost about 130,000 hectares to wildfires.
- France (Gironde & Landes)
- 200000 people
- Spain (Madrid)
- 115000 people
- Spain (Valencia)
- 15000 people
Arson arrests in Gironde
French police have detained three suspects. Two men aged 19 and 21 were arrested in La-Teste-de-Buch for allegedly setting off fireworks near a motorway and a sports complex. In Lormont, a suburb of Bordeaux, a 33-year-old ambulance driver was taken into custody on suspicion of drunkenly setting fire to brushland. A 26-year-old man had already been arrested on 24 July after lighting a barbecue near a forest and a campsite. All three will appear before a judge, the first two on Wednesday.
European solidarity and the A400M debut
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on X that Berlin is sending a firefighting aircraft, helicopters and rescue workers to France. President Emmanuel Macron thanked Romania, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia for their support.
This is Europe. In times of adversity, it shows the solidarity that so defines it.
Spain received two firefighting planes from Turkey and additional aircraft from Greece and Italy. Meanwhile, a converted Airbus A400M was pressed into service for the first time, dropping 20 tonnes of water over Lacanau (previous water bombers carried 6–7 tonnes).
Tour de France finale curtailed
The final stage of the Tour de France, scheduled for Sunday, was shortened from 133 km to 89 km. Organisers and Paris police said the decision was taken to ease the burden on emergency services already stretched by the wildfires. Riders were presented in Thoiry, then transferred by bus to Paris for a 17:50 start on the Champs-Élysées, where two extra laps were added to the original route.
