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.