European Wildfires

Historic wildfires across France and Spain have scorched roughly 300,000 acres and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, with the Bordeaux region alone displacing more than 220,000 residents as temperatures are forecast to reach 40°C.

French authorities suspect some blazes were deliberately set, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said more than 160 arrests have been made since early July, with convictions carrying up to 15 years in prison. In Spain, a major fire in a national park near the Portuguese border forced the evacuation of 12 villages around Fermoselle, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the situation as extremely tense with ten active fires across the country.

Greece and Turkey are also battling dozens of fires; three firefighters died on Crete. Western Europe recorded its hottest June ever, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Human-caused climate change made the extreme weather driving devastating wildfires in Spain and France significantly more probable, according to a rapid analysis released Friday by World Weather Attribution. The hot, dry and windy conditions fuelling the blazes were at least 20 times more likely in central Spain and at least twice as likely in south-western France, the group found.

Fires burning since early July have displaced more than 250,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes after authorities struggled to contain blazes that killed at least 14 people this year. In today's climate, fire weather of this intensity can be expected roughly once every six years in central Spain and once every 20 years in south-western France. Rainy winters followed by dry springs heighten the fire risk in both regions.

Air quality deteriorated sharply, with fine particle pollution in Bordeaux reaching 20 times acceptable European levels. Poor air was detected up to 400 kilometres away, and nearly 100,000 people in Spain were confined to their homes.

Spanish authorities have lifted all evacuation and confinement orders across Ávila province as the Burgohondo wildfire, now deemed the largest in Spain's history at 50,000 hectares burned, stabilised on Wednesday. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced from Navalcarnero that residents of more than a dozen evacuated towns could return home, noting that fires in Ávila and Madrid are technically stabilised.

The blaze destroyed over 70,000 hectares in total and has triggered a criminal investigation. Civil Guard agents arrested the owner of the excavator believed to have sparked the fire. Investigators say sparks from the machine's chain ignited dry vegetation while workers were clearing a livestock path in the Gredos mountains. The machinery was operating despite an extreme fire-risk ban imposed by regional authorities and lacked required permits and safety equipment.

Both the owner and the operating company face charges of forest fire and environmental crimes.

George Clooney, his wife Amal, and their nine-year-old twins were forced to flee their Provençal estate after flames advanced on the property in Brignoles, in the Var department of southeastern France.

The evacuation is part of a broader emergency: across the country, fires have displaced more than 220,000 residents, with roughly 100 hectares scorched around the town alone. President Emmanuel Macron toured a firefighter coordination centre as crews battled the blazes. In Spain, tens of thousands were also affected, while two firefighters died fighting fires in Greece.

The Clooneys, who purchased the Domaine du Canadel vineyard in 2021 and became French citizens in 2025, wrote to Brignoles Mayor Didier Brémond pledging support for rebuilding. The family was unharmed in the evacuation.

More than 220,000 people have been evacuated across the Bordeaux region as wildfires burn roughly 42,000 hectares in what officials describe as the area's worst fire season since 1949. France's fourth heatwave of the year pushed local temperatures to 42 degrees Celsius on July 29, with 2,750 firefighters and two dozen aircraft battling blazes that have not spread but remain uncontrolled.

Industry minister Sébastien Martin said the most dangerous chemicals have been removed from Dassault Aviation and ArianeGroup factories, while Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced five million free FFP2 masks for smoke-affected areas. Tourism is suffering, with hoteliers near Arcachon Bay losing up to 5 million euros weekly.

Across the Pyrenees, fires near Madrid have burned more than 77,000 hectares, and in Greece two firefighters died battling blazes in Crete. The EU has warned of elevated fire risk across southern and central Europe in coming weeks.

The wildfire near La Vall d'Uixó in Castellón has scorched approximately 10,000 hectares after burning for a fifth day, prompting the lifting of a lockdown in La Vall d'Uixó and allowing thousands of residents to return home after forced evacuations scattered them across 18 municipalities.

More than 400 personnel, reinforced by crews from Catalonia, Aragón and Murcia, are battling the blaze with 34 aircraft and overnight drone surveillance by the Generalitat and the military UME. Thermal inversions and lingering smoke have repeatedly grounded fleets in the mornings, while firefighters race to contain the western front toward the Sierra de Espadán, where dense forest fuels fears of re-ignition. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the forward command post as authorities brace for a new heatwave expected to push temperatures above 41C across Spain.

Across the country, blazes have closed 29 roads, including a record fire in Ávila that has consumed more than 50,000 hectares, though conditions there and near Madrid have begun to ease, allowing some evacuees to return.

Spain's fourth heat wave of the summer began Wednesday, bringing temperatures of up to 42°C and prompting orange weather alerts across nine autonomous communities. The State Meteorological Agency issued a special advisory warning that the extreme heat will persist at least through Sunday, with yellow or orange warnings active across most of the country except Asturias, Murcia and the Balearic Islands.

The Ebro river valley and central Navarra are expected to see the highest readings on Wednesday, reaching up to 42°C, while southwestern river valleys and the Ebro basin face temperatures of 40-42°C. Minimum temperatures are rising across the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands. By Friday, inland areas of the southern peninsula and the Guadalquivir valley may reach 40-42°C.

The spell comes as July 2026 is confirmed as the warmest July since records began in 1961, tied with 2022. Wildfires have already burned 153,000 hectares this year according to the Copernicus system, far exceeding the 20-year annual average of 95,000.