Wildfires swept through southern France and Spain on Sunday, scorching hundreds of hectares of dry vegetation and forcing the evacuation of multiple communities as emergency crews scrambled to contain the blazes.
In France's Lozère department, around 270 firefighters battled a rapidly spreading wildfire that burned more than 150 hectares near Massegros-Causses-Gorges, roughly 140 kilometres northwest of Montpellier. The fire, which may have been sparked by a vehicle catching alight on a local road, prompted the precautionary evacuation of two villages in La Tieule, affecting about 20 homes.
In Spain, a wildfire in Huelva province burned roughly 8,000 hectares, forcing nearly 500 people to flee. Andalusian Interior Minister Antonio Sanz said the southern flank was under control. Environment Minister Sara Aagesen noted that nearly 200,000 hectares have burned across Spain this year, with 40 major fires recorded so far in 2026 compared with 15 at the same point last year.