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.