More than 20,000 people have been evacuated as wildfires spread through southwest France and a new heatwave brings 40C+ temperatures back to the continent.
Thousands of tourists were told to leave holiday camps near Bordeaux, officials said, as some 700 firefighters were called out to tackle the blaze near the popular coastal town of Lege Cap-Ferret.
“Overnight, the fire spread more quickly than we had imagined,” acknowledged Philippe de Gonneville, the mayor of Lège-Cap Ferret. Authorities said 12,000 have already been evacuated, while around 8,800 are being moved.
In neighbouring Spain, authorities were still working to put out fires which have raged for several days, while in Italy, a 59-year-old firefighter died after falling ill while battling a large wildfire near San Cataldo in Sicily.
Across central Spain, firefighters, emergency personnel and military units remained deployed as authorities monitored multiple active fires, including blazes in Guadalajara, Toledo, Ciudad Real and Albacete. More than 100,000 hectares have burned nationwide so far this year.
Spain’s meteorological agency warned of “extraordinary danger” with temperatures of up to 44C on Thursday in some regions. Popular Spanish tourist spots, including the areas around Malaga, Valencia and Alicante, could see temperatures reach as high as 42C.
Key Points
- More than 10,000 evacuated in southwestern France as wildfires scorch land near Bordeaux
- Spain plagued by dramatic wildfires amid intense heat
- Mapped: Weather warnings in Spain on Thursday
- France records 5,764 excess deaths from June-July heatwaves
- 'It felt like hell was approaching': Spanish residents recall wildfires
In pictures: Scorched landscape near Bordeaux, France
16:45 , Alex Croft
'The sky turned black and red'
16:22 , Alex CroftFrench residents have described seeing the wildfire approach near the wealthy Cap Ferret peninsula, often likened to the upscale Hamptons in the United States.
The area is home to some of France's expensive properties, where wealthy Parisians and Bordelais come to sip white wine and feast on oysters.
Lège is the only one of the peninsula's 11 villages that is currently threatened by the fire, but Gonneville said authorities had evacuated 5,200 people overnight. He said access was completely closed, and contingency plans were in place to evacuate the entire peninsula by both road and sea if necessary.
The fire had now reached the edge of Lège, forcing the evacuation of several campgrounds and neighborhoods close to the forest.
"We moved here two and a half years ago because it's a lovely place, and we don't know what we'll return to," said Jeanine Clarke, 46, evacuated to a nearby evacuation centre with her family and dog.
Camper Elizabeth Carron said she was having dinner when she saw the flames. "The sky turned red. Black and red. Then little by little, we could smell it. There were ashes on the car, on the caravan, on my grandchildren's little tent. Then two hours later, they advised us to leave."
Record temperatures in several cities in Spain, says forecaster
15:00 , Alex CroftSeveral areas of Spain recorded record temperatures on Wednesday, forecaster AEMET has said.
The central and eastern areas around Albacete (42.0C), Teruel (40.7C) and Avila (37.8C), all experienced their highest temperatures on record.
Teruel also recorded the warmest night since records began, with a minimum temperatures of 21.9C.
📈 El día 22 se batieron récords de temperatura máxima para el mes de julio en Albacete, Ávila y Teruel.
— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) July 23, 2026
➡️ Destaca también la temperatura mínima registrada en Teruel: 21,9 °C. Se trató de la noche más cálida en esta ciudad desde que hay registros. pic.twitter.com/oFZv0GjOOa
Drone footage shows massive wildfires raging north of Madrid - ICYMI
14:31 , Alex CroftSpanish PM visits Guadalajara region after wildfires
14:02 , Alex CroftVisiting the Guadalajra region on Wednesday following a devastating wildfire, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain had already suffered 22 major wildfires this year.
"We have already reached 100,000 hectares before reaching the most critical period of the year in the fight against wildfires," he said.
"To put that into perspective, that is the annual average that Spain experienced over the past decade," he said, adding that more must be done to prevent fires.
What do we know about Spain's worst wildfire this year?
13:30 , Alex CroftIn the Guadalajara region, Spain's worst wildfire this year has burned an estimated 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres).
It started to stabilise on Tuesday after forcing evacuations in 34 municipalities and confinement orders in 14 others.
Castilla-La Mancha's INFOCAM fire service said residents of five villages had been authorised to return, although other restrictions remained in place.
Spain's weather agency AEMET said the danger of wildfires remained "very high or extreme" across most of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands and was expected to increase further in the coming days.
It urged people to "exercise extreme caution" as the ongoing heatwave combined with dry thunderstorms and Saharan dust.
Bulletin | Severe heatwave grips Europe with Spain facing 44C temperatures
13:01 , Alex CroftEurope is currently experiencing a severe heatwave, with Spain facing "extraordinary danger" as temperatures are forecast to reach up to 44C, close to its all-time record of 47.6C.
Here’s everything you need to know in five bullet points:
Severe heatwave grips Europe with Spain facing 44C temperatures
Greece, North Macedonia and Kosovo all impacted by southern heatwave
12:41 , Alex CroftSpain, France and Italy have suffered much of the brunt of this week’s heatwave, but it has also been felt further east.
In Greece, with temperatures forecast to top 41 C (106 F), authorities have banned outdoor work at peak midday sun. In Cyprus, which is also used to high summer temperatures, working outdoors was banned during afternoon hours on Wednesday.
In Skopje, capital of North Macedonia, 11 people were admitted to hospital, three of them with serious injuries, after a storm on Tuesday night felled trees, damaged roofs and caused power outages across the Balkan country, local media reported.
Roads were blocked and some towns left without electricity and water.
In Kosovo, the Hydrometeorological Institute said more storms were expected on Wednesday and warned of possible lightning strikes, damage to the electricity network, power outages, flooding and property damage.
Local media showed roofs being blown away, torrential rain and residents covering their cars with blankets on Tuesday to protect them from hail.
Watch: Wildfires sweep southern Europe forcing thousands from their homes
11:58 , Alex CroftMore than 10,000 evacuated in southwestern France as wildfires scorch land near Bordeaux
11:33 , Alex CroftMore than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight in southwestern France as a rapidly spreading wildfire scorched through 2,000 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux, officials said on Thursday.
Wildfires have burnt more land in Europe already this year than the annual average in the past two decades, data shows, as the world's fastest-warming continent has endured three stifling, virtually back-to-back heatwaves so far this year.
Five hundred firefighters are battling to control the blaze, the prefecture said, adding that the wildfire was very rough, but that no one has been injured so far.
The wildfire is located near the Arcachon Bay area, a tourist hotspot, and many of those evacuated are tourists staying in camping sites.
In pictures: Spain suffers one of its largest wildfires in years
11:31 , Alex Croft
'It felt like hell was approaching': Spanish residents recall wildfires
10:42 , Alex CroftThe residents of a small village near the major Guadalajara wildfire have recalled the moment they were evacuated as a fire tore through the area.
It felt like “hell was approaching”, the mayor of the Naharros hamlet, Ricardo Antón, told El Pais.
“You see the whole mountain above burning and you hear it right above you. The fire was so fierce it jumped [across] the valley.”
Antonia Molinero, 80, recalled the moment the Civil Guard knocked on her door to evacuate her on Sunday night.
“You don’t have time to react. You think, if I have to leave, then I have to leave,” she said.
Antonio Mier, 20, added: "It's quite shocking to see everything green your whole life and then suddenly see it so black.”
Vast majority of Spain at 'extreme' risk of wildfire
10:21 , Alex CroftThe vast majority of Spain is at ‘extreme’ risk of a wildfire, according to Spanish forecaster AEMET.
On Thursday, the warnings cover large parts of the countries eastern half, with the rest of the country at ‘very high’ or ‘moderate’ risk.
Going into Friday, the vast majority of the country, carrying the northwestern and southwestern corners, along with parts of the eastern coast, are at ‘extreme’ risk, the forecaster said.
France records 5,764 excess deaths from June-July heatwaves
10:16 , Alex CroftFrance recorded 5,764 excess deaths between June 17 and July 2 when the country was hit by heatwaves, French TV station BFMTV reported on Wednesday, citing health authority data.
The count represents a 36 per cent excess mortality, BFMTV added.
Health Minister Stephanie Rist had originally estimated the excess deaths recorded in late June at 2,025.
The record-breaking heatwaves saw temperatures go well into the 40s.
Mapped: Weather warnings in Spain on Thursday
10:02 , Alex Croft
Spain plagued by dramatic wildfires amid intense heat
09:51 , Alex CroftSpain has been plagued by wildfires during a period of dry weather and intense heat, with thousands evacuated.
In central Spain firefighters battled a wildfire on Wednesday that has burned over 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres) in one of the country's largest blazes on record.
The fire in rural Guadalajara comes less than two weeks after a deadly blaze devastated a small expat community in southern Spain.
That small but extremely virulent fire killed 13 people, including several foreigners, in one of the southern European country's deadliest wildfires.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday visited the fire-ravaged area in Guadalajara, and called for a pact between political parties to fight climate change.
"Year after year we clearly see how climate change kills and destroys wealth in our communities," Sánchez said in the village of Tamajón, located less than two hours by car northeast of Madrid.
"This isn't politics. It is science, it's about facts."
Some 34 villages have been evacuated in the area but there are no reported serious injuries or deaths.
Mapped: Spain braces for heatwave as tourist hotspots warned over record-breaking weather
09:49 , Alex CroftSpain is set to face its third brutal heatwave of an already record-breaking summer, with temperatures expected to hit highs of up to 44C.
The country’s meteorological agency AEMET warned the heatwave is expected to last all week, with temperatures approaching Spain’s all-time record of 47.6C five years ago.
Areas most severely affected will include much of the southeastern interior of the country, pushing wildfire dangers to extreme levels.
Maira Butt reports:
Mapped: Spain braces for 47C as tourist hotspots warned over record-breaking heat
