Europe’s Wildfire Crisis Deepens as France and Spain Battle Blazes Amid Fourth Heatwave
Southwestern Europe is having a brutal summer, and it isn’t over yet.
Wildfires tearing through France and Spain have now forced roughly 330,000 people from their homes, and firefighters on both sides of the border are bracing for another heatwave that threatens to undo whatever ground they’ve gained.
In France, the situation around Bordeaux remains especially tense. A massive blaze in the Gironde region has scorched around 420 square kilometres, and while firefighters managed to hold the line overnight, authorities ordered nearly 4,000 more people evacuated from tourist areas along the Atlantic coast as returning heat put their progress at risk. Ninety-three firefighters have been injured so far battling the flames, and the A63 motorway remains partly closed.
There was a rare bright spot, though: a separate fire in the neighbouring Landes area, which had displaced more than 30,000 people, was declared “fixed” by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday evening — welcome news for thousands of evacuated residents and holidaymakers finally able to return home.
Across the border, Spain is dealing with its fourth heatwave of the summer, and it’s fighting the largest wildfire in the country’s recorded history. Fires near Madrid have forced tens of thousands to evacuate, though officials say the situation is “improving little by little,” with around 24,000 of the 63,000 people evacuated near the capital now allowed back home. Firefighters managed to stop flames from reaching Valdemaqueda, west of Madrid, after residents were cleared out on Monday.
Experts say this is becoming the new normal for the region. Meteorologists note that Europe has barely had time to recover from one heatwave before the next arrives, with dry soil and stressed vegetation making every fresh burst of heat more dangerous than the last. Even Bordeaux’s wine industry is watching nervously, though experts say the grapes are still too unripe to be affected by smoke taint — for now.
With France warning of an “intense” heatwave peaking mid-week and Spain’s expected to last into the weekend, this wildfire emergency is far from over.
