France has warned that the latest intense heatwave hitting the country will peak today, as more towns near Bordeaux were evacuated in the face of raging wildfires.
Temperatures could reach up to 44C in some parts, according to Meteo France, while forecasters in Spain said the heatwave there is expected to continue until Sunday.
Since the fires began to spread last Wednesday, roughly 330,000 people have been driven from homes and vacation sites by huge wildfires across France and Spain.
French authorities have ordered 4,000 more people to leave tourist sites along the country’s Atlantic coast, expanding what may be France’s largest peacetime evacuation as a vast wildfire west of Bordeaux raged.
The Gironde fire has burned an area four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people to leave their homes.
A renewed heatwave was threatening firefighters’ fragile hold on the blaze, and fresh flames have erupted near Grand Crohot, a popular Atlantic beach on the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula, local authorities said.
President Emmanuel Macron said France was facing its most difficult situation since the Second World War, urging fire crews to “stay strong”.
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Key Points
- France heatwave to peak today as temperatures rocket to 44C
- France orders 4,000 more evacuations as fires displace a third of a million across southwest Europe
- Firefighters say they've never seen anything like Spain's record blazes
- Wildfire response must evolve to keep pace with climate change, EU says
- Spanish prime minister says 'end of the tunnel' is near
A third of a million evacuated across France and Spain
10:57 , Maryam Zakir-HussainSince the fires began to spread last Wednesday, roughly 330,000 people have been driven from homes and vacation sites by huge wildfires across France and Spain.
Spain’s weather agency AEMET is warning that the risk of wildfires remains very high or extreme across much of the country.
Back-to-back heatwaves have suffocated Spain this summer, with temperatures repeatedly exceeding 40 Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
The fresh heatwave was expected to mainly affect the northeast and parts of central Spain, while temperatures were pushing 40 Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in several inland areas in the normally hot, southern Andalusia region.
North of Madrid faces extreme risk of wildfires
10:25 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe north of Madrid is facing an extreme risk of fire, according to the government delegation in the region.
An orange heat alert has been issued for the Madrid area, with temperatures of 39C expected there.
Spain's interior ministry said there were 13 communities on alert due to the high temperatures.
⚠️ 13 comunidades en alerta por altas temperaturas:
— Ministerio del Interior (@interiorgob) July 29, 2026
🟠 Andalucía
🟠 Aragón
🟠 Castilla y León
🟠 Castilla-La Mancha
🟠 Cataluña
🟠 Madrid
🟠 Navarra
🟠 País Vasco
🟠 La Rioja
🟡 Cantabria
🟡Extremadura
🟡 Galicia
🟡 Comunitat Valenciana
🔎 https://t.co/5Uh9T3xh11 pic.twitter.com/XTLdYP1khY
Gironde fire created black thundercloud in a first for France
09:50 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAt its most violent, the Gironde blaze created a gargantuan black thundercloud, electrified and lit from within.
It generated lightning, violent winds and new fires beyond the original front.
The phenomenon, known as a pyrocumulonimbus cloud, was the first recorded in France.
Heatwave threatens to reignite France’s mega-fire near Bordeaux
09:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe heatwave and forecast winds could hamper progress against the blaze that has forced 220,000 people from their homes, authorities for the Gironde region around Bordeaux said.
In a Wednesday morning update on the huge firefighting effort, Gironde authorities said the situation overnight had been “calm" and that the blaze hadn't spread — although it's still not contained a week after it started.
The onset of heatwave temperatures and winds heightened the risk of flames flaring again.
On Tuesday, Gironde authorities ordered 4,000 more people evacuated from tourist sites along the Atlantic coast, widening what may be France’s largest peacetime evacuation.
“The situation remains complicated. That’s clear. We’re not out of the woods,” Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said Tuesday evening.
But she also gave the go-ahead for 60,000 evacuees to return to their homes in three Bordeaux suburbs that haven't burned.
Watch: Firefighter’s helmet camera captures battle against France’s raging wildfires
08:30 , Stuti Mishra
Watch: Firefighter’s helmet camera captures battle against France’s raging wildfires
Mapped: The areas in France and Spain affected by raging wildfires
08:15 , Maryam Zakir-HussainMore than 360,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes as wildfires continue to rage across Spain and France.
At least one man has been killed in Spain and dozens of others have been injured, including at least 68 firefighters in France.
Government officials from both countries have commented on the historic nature of the blaze, with Madrid’s regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso describing it as “the worst fire in the history of the region”.
Below we look at the areas affected and evacuated as a result of the wildfires.
Mapped: The areas in France and Spain affected by raging wildfires
France heatwave to peak today
08:00 , Stuti MishraFrance has warned that the latest intense heatwave hitting the country will peak today, as more towns near Bordeaux were evacuated in the face of raging wildfires.
Temperatures could reach up to 44C in some parts, according to Meteo France, while forecasters in Spain said the heatwave there is expected to continue until Sunday.
French authorities have ordered 4,000 more people to leave tourist sites along the country’s Atlantic coast, expanding what may be France’s largest peacetime evacuation as a vast wildfire west of Bordeaux raged.
The air is unbreathable, say people forced to flee homes in Bordeaux
07:30 , Stuti MishraPeople caught up in the wildfires inching towards Bordeaux have described how they are struggling to breathe as smoke from the fires has forced them to flee their homes.
More than 200,000 people have been told to evacuate the area as firefighters battle in a race against time to contain the blaze, which burns within nine miles of the main metropolitan area.
Read more from James C Reynolds in Bordeaux.
People fleeing their homes in Bordeaux: ‘The air is unbreathable’
Wildfire response must evolve to keep pace with climate change, EU says
07:00 , Stuti MishraThe European Union's response to wildfires needs more funding, greater focus on forest management and enhanced education about fire risk as the climate changes, the head of the bloc's crisis response said, as France and Spain battle deadly blazes.
Wildfires have forced unprecedented evacuations of tens of thousands of people across France and Spain, and torn through a region already battered by a blisteringly hot and dry summer.
"Climate change is accelerating. So our response must evolve just as quickly," Hadja Lahbib, the EU's Crisis Management Commissioner, told Reuters.
"We must prepare for risks before disasters strike, and not simply react afterwards."
Lahbib said it was not enough to just purchase more firefighting equipment, and that countries should also be investing more of their EU funding in forest management practices that reduce wildfire risk, and should better educate citizens on "what behaviour they absolutely must avoid", to reduce fire risk. Around 90 per cent of wildfires are started by human activities, such as campfires or discarded cigarettes.
Firefighters say they've never seen anything like Spain's record blazes
06:40 , Stuti MishraSpanish firefighter Javier García has never faced anything like the record blaze raging near Madrid in his two decades protecting woodlands and rural communities.
“This doesn’t have a precedent,” he said.
Read more:
Firefighters say they've never seen anything like Spain's record blaze
Spanish prime minister says 'end of the tunnel' is near
06:20 , Stuti MishraPrime minister Pedro Sánchez said on Tuesday that Spain is beginning to see "light at the end of the tunnel" in its battle against the wildfires, although some fires continue raging and he warned the next few hours remain crucial.
Authorities allowed most people in the central Toledo province to return to their homes, lifting a state of emergency introduced on 23 July. Fires still raged in the Madrid region nearby.
“We are starting to see the end of the tunnel in the fight against these fires," Mr Sanchez told reporters.
Black thundercloud creates own lightning, wind and new blazes
06:00 , Jane DaltonAt its most violent, the Gironde blaze created a gargantuan black thundercloud, electrified and lit from within. It generated lightning, violent winds and new fires beyond the original front.
The phenomenon, known as a pyrocumulonimbus cloud, was the first recorded in France.
France's national weather service placed Gironde under a yellow heat warning, forecasting inland temperatures of 33 to 35C.
Why Europe is warming more quickly than global average
05:40 , Jane DaltonEurope is the world's fastest-warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average, according to the European Union's Copernicus climate service.
The continent has warmed by around 2.5C compared with pre-industrial levels, the experts say, and Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record.
Changing weather patterns, increasing solar radiation, reduced air pollution, decreasing snow cover and geography are all factors.
More than 1,160 sq km (448 sq miles) of land have burnt across France this year, according to the interior ministry.
A Spanish firefighter invited climate-change deniers to work alongside his crews.
French military patrols evacuated communities to deter burglars
05:20 , Stuti MishraFrance's armed forces are patrolling evacuated communities amid fears of burglaries in empty homes, as authorities ordered the evacuation of nearly 4,000 more people along the Atlantic coast west of Bordeaux.
The Gendarmerie Nationale shared footage on X of military police driving through deserted streets and checking doors of abandoned properties in Lege-Cap-Ferret in the Gironde region.
"The gendarmes carry out community policing missions and patrol evacuated areas, particularly to prevent any attempted burglaries," the force said.
#Incendies 🔥 Les #gendarmes réalisent des missions de proximité et patrouillent dans les zones évacuées notamment pour prévenir toute tentative de cambriolage. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/lWDKfdgXie
— Gendarmerie nationale (@Gendarmerie) July 28, 2026
Spanish firefighters have 'never seen anything like it'
05:00 , Jane DaltonFirefighters say they've never seen anything like Spain's record blaze
In pictures: Devastation in Spain
04:35 , Jane Dalton
France orders 4,000 more evacuations as fires displace a third of a million across southwest Europe
04:21 , Stuti MishraFrench authorities ordered 4,000 more people evacuated from tourist sites along its Atlantic coast yesterday, widening what may be France’s largest peacetime evacuation as returning heat threatened firefighters’ fragile hold on a vast wildfire west of Bordeaux.
Fresh flames erupted later yesterday near Grand Crohot, a popular Atlantic beach on the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula, local authorities said. A fleet of 23 planes and helicopters, up from 18 earlier, dropped water and fire retardant as crews fought to keep the renewed flames from spreading.
“The situation remains complicated. That’s clear. We’re not out of the woods,” Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said.
She said that about 60,000 residents who were evacuated as a precaution from Le Haillan and parts of Mérignac and Eysines outside Bordeaux’s ring road could return on Tuesday. No fires had broken out in the three areas, but residents were told to keep their mobile phones on and emergency bags packed.
From snow in Athens to hail in Marseille: How Europe’s extreme weather is linked
03:45 , Jane Dalton
Snow in Athens, hail in Marseille while Bordeaux burns: Here’s why it’s all connected
Bordeaux drought puts vineyards under pressure
03:00 , Jane Dalton
Wildfires burn near France’s Bordeaux as drought puts vineyards under pressure
Pictured: Firefighting plane races towards flames
02:30 , Jane Dalton
Residents warned to be on alert as they return home
01:15 , Jane DaltonAbout 60,000 residents who were told to leave their homes outside Bordeaux's ring road as a precaution have been able to return, authorities say.
No fires had broken out in the areas of Le Haillan and parts of Mérignac and Eysines, but residents were told to keep their mobile phones on and emergency bags packed.
“The situation remains complicated. That's clear. We're not out of the woods,” said Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas.
The Gironde fire has burnt an area four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people out of their homes.
In Landes, about 15,000 evacuees — roughly half of those displaced there — were allowed home after a separate wildfire stopped advancing.
Wildlife toll will be catastrophic, says minister
Wednesday 29 July 2026 00:10 , Jane DaltonThe wildlife toll will be catastrophic, the French ecology minister has warned.
Animals from deer to insects will have been unable to escape the flames and smoke as their habitats burned, said Monique Barbut.
Homes, farmland and vehicles have been incinerated in Gironde but wildlife has suffered "extremely significant losses" too, she said.
It was too early to determine a precise toll “but it is clear that the figures will be catastrophic”, Ms Barbut warned.
In hard-hit communes such as Le Porge on the Atlantic coastline almost "nothing could have survived" the intensity of the fires, Laurent Tillon from the forestry department said.
Insects would have perished en masse with implications for the animals that feed on them, said Gregoire Lois, an ornithologist at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.
Faster-moving wildlife such as deer can flee the flames but face other dangers when driven into unfamiliar terrain, experts said.
Some become disoriented and trapped by shifting fire fronts while others run onto roads and train lines, risking deadly collisions.
Inhalation of smoke and toxic fumes also poses immediate and long-term health problems especially for smaller creatures like birds, said Celine Sissler-Bienvenu, an animal-protection and crisis-management expert.
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