Firefighters battled fast-moving blazes near Bordeaux, Madrid and Valencia as extreme heat and dry conditions complicated containment efforts.
BORDEAUX, FRANCE — More than 300,000 people have been evacuated from communities in France and Spain as uncontrolled wildfires advanced toward populated areas Sunday, threatening the outskirts of Bordeaux and opening new fronts along Spain’s eastern coast.
The largest displacement was in southwestern France, where officials said more than 250,000 people had been forced from their homes by fires in the Gironde and Landes regions. Spain reported 76,000 evacuations, while about 30,000 additional residents were ordered to remain inside their homes. The totals changed as authorities expanded evacuation zones, but the latest reports placed the combined number of evacuees above 300,000.
In Gironde, a major blaze moved to within about 15 kilometers, or 9 miles, of Bordeaux, the center of France’s wine-growing region. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the fire remained uncontrolled and was moving toward the metropolitan area. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said authorities were not planning to evacuate the city, but officials continued to assess the danger as winds shifted and flames spread through dry forests and scrubland.
Police went door to door overnight in communities southwest of Bordeaux, including Marcheprime and Cestas, telling residents to leave. Bordeaux converted an exhibition center into an emergency shelter with cots and food for displaced families. The city said the facility could receive thousands of people, including older residents transferred from care homes. Evacuees were not expected to return until authorities determined that their communities were safe.
The Gironde fire had burned an estimated 42,000 hectares, or about 162 square miles, by Sunday. Officials said hundreds of homes had been destroyed and 75 firefighters had received treatment for injuries. About 2,500 firefighters were deployed with soldiers, police officers and 18 aircraft and helicopters. A French A400M military cargo plane was also used to drop large quantities of fire retardant.
The blaze produced unusually powerful firestorms that generated their own winds and lightning, according to French authorities. Such conditions can cause flames to change direction quickly and can ignite new fires beyond existing containment lines. Gironde fire chief Marc Vermeulen compared the challenge to facing a hurricane. Officials warned that another rise in temperatures expected during the week could make the operation more difficult.
A second major fire farther south in France’s Landes region forced about 36,000 people to evacuate. Nearly 3,000 others left communities threatened by a fire in the Mediterranean region of Var. Fires also swept across the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular Atlantic vacation area, where some residents and tourists were moved by boat as roads became unsafe. Authorities asked visitors to avoid affected areas so emergency crews could move freely.
In Spain, firefighters faced major blazes west of Madrid and in the neighboring province of Ávila. More than 50,000 hectares, or roughly 123,500 acres, had burned in Ávila, making the fire the largest in Spain’s recent history, Environment Minister Sara Aagesen said. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said crews had made progress in some areas but warned that difficult conditions remained.
A new fire also spread through Castellón province in eastern Spain, forcing about 15,000 people to leave communities near the Vall d’Uixó area. The flames entered Sierra de Espadán Natural Park, an area of pine forests and cork oaks. Regional officials said adverse weather made the fire difficult to fight. One man died Saturday in a wildfire in Manises, near Valencia, the first reported death in Spain’s latest series of fires.
Spain deployed thousands of firefighters, police officers and other emergency workers, along with water-dropping aircraft. Greece and Italy each sent two firefighting planes through the European Union’s civil protection system, while Portugal provided military personnel and equipment. Turkey was expected to send two additional aircraft. Sánchez said the government planned to declare a civil protection emergency in several central provinces, allowing more recovery money to be released.
Successive heat waves and prolonged drought have left forests across parts of Europe extremely dry. July high temperatures in Bordeaux and Ávila averaged about 32 degrees Celsius, or 90 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly 6 degrees Celsius above the historical monthly average. Scientists have said human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat that can create conditions for larger and faster-moving fires.
The European Union’s Joint Research Centre said 254,388 hectares had burned across the bloc through July 22. That total was above the long-term average and close to the area burned during the same period in 2025, the worst year on record. The agency had detected 1,254 fires in 2026, more than twice the long-term average for that point in the year.
Other fires caused evacuations and transportation disruptions in Italy and Scotland, though France and Spain remained the center of the emergency. Firefighters continued to build containment lines around Bordeaux and other threatened communities Sunday. Officials said evacuation orders would remain in place until the fires were controlled and residents could return without facing renewed danger.
Author note: Last updated July 26, 2026.