European wildfires force more than 250K evacuations across Spain, France
Fast-spreading wildfires across Spain and France have triggered evacuations for more than 250,000 people, as extreme heat, dry terrain and strong winds intensify the crisis. In France, one major blaze is menacing the internationally renowned Bordeaux wine region, while Spain has declared a national emergency. French officials have called in military support, and the Tour de France has been shortened as emergency crews race to contain the fires.
In southwest France, more than a quarter of a million residents have been forced to leave their homes as a huge wildfire pushes toward Bordeaux, one of the world’s best-known wine capitals. Authorities say the fire has grown so powerful that it is generating its own winds, making its path harder to predict and the firefighting effort increasingly dangerous.
Officials in France ordered an additional 55,000 people to flee overnight Sunday from towns and villages south of Bordeaux, raising the number of evacuees in the area to roughly 250,000. The blaze, which has been burning out of control since midweek, has been fueled by parched conditions, gusty winds and a succession of punishing heat waves.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said crews endured a “difficult” night on the fire lines and cautioned Sunday that “the situation remains very unfavorable.”
Firefighters douse flames in a forest near Lacanau in southwestern France on Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
In a post on X, Nunez said the wildfire had once again turned “extremely virulent” and unpredictable, producing its own winds as it moved erratically in the direction of the Bordeaux metropolitan area. He added that conditions had eased somewhat by the end of the night.
The Gironde fire has scorched an estimated 42,000 hectares, or about 162 square miles — an area roughly four times the size of Paris. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the flames advanced to within about 9 miles of the city, leading authorities to partially shut a major highway serving the region.
More than 2,500 firefighters are battling the blaze with support from 18 aircraft, including planes and helicopters. France has also sent in 1,500 soldiers to help remove vegetation and create firebreaks, while several European nations have contributed firefighting teams and aircraft to reinforce the response.
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Nunez said 450 volunteers have also pitched in to help.
“We came to lend a hand because if it were our region, we’d want others to do the same,” 65-year-old farmer Pascal Roudier told Reuters. “And given the scale of the disaster, we think our efforts are very welcome too.”
Firefighters battle a wildfire near Marcheprime, outside, Bordeaux, France, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
The Bordeaux-area fire is one of several major wildfires burning across France. A separate blaze in the neighboring Landes region has forced another 36,000 people to evacuate, while nearly 3,000 others have left their homes in southern France’s Var region along the Mediterranean coast.
Neighboring Spain is facing its own wildfire emergency.
A firefighter carries a hose while battling a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, west of Madrid, Spain, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Authorities there have evacuated about 116,000 people in recent days as fires burned across the Valencia region and west of Madrid. A fast-moving fire in a Valencia suburb killed one man Saturday, marking Spain’s first wildfire death in the latest wave of fires.
Earlier this month, 13 people were killed in southern Spain in the country’s deadliest wildfire in recent memory.
