President Emmanuel Macron has requested activation of the European Union's civil protection mechanism to combat wildfires, securing aerial reinforcements after blazes killed two firefighters and displaced tens of thousands in south-western France.
Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are sending four firefighting aircraft and two helicopters to assist French crews. Near the Arcachon basin, fires have scorched more than 4,800 hectares and forced nearly 20,000 people to evacuate, while a separate blaze in Biscarosse covered 1,000 hectares and displaced more than 9,000 residents. The two firefighters died battling flames near Bordeaux airport, officials said.
In the Var, a fire burned through 2,700 hectares, compounding earlier outbreaks across the region. Spain's Madrid region declared a state of emergency as fires spread. The World Weather Attribution group linked the accelerating wildfire threat to climate change driven by fossil-fuel combustion.