Thousands return home in Spain as France battles new wildfires amid heatwave; officials warn of more.
ALDEA DEL FRESNO: Thousands who fled huge wildfires in Spain returned home on Wednesday while in France firefighters battled flames as a new heatwave gripped the region.
Spain lifted remaining evacuation orders for Avila province and the last two towns near Madrid. While some evacuees returned to untouched homes, others found devastation.
“I’m happy, I couldn’t wait to come home and have my coffee and breakfast,” said Maria Jesus Perez Blanca, in her seventies, at a cafe in Aldea del Fresno.
But in Pelayos de la Presa, David Rodriguez was knocking down the scorched remains of his home. “It’s a disaster. Just look at it. All my memories, everything I had was here. My dad built it 40 years ago and everything has been lost.”
Officials said better overnight conditions helped stabilise the fire, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the coming hours would be decisive.
In France, the Gironde region reported a second calm night, with the massive fire west of Bordeaux remaining stable despite a spike in temperatures as the fourth heatwave of the summer roasted the area. “If the night goes well, we can reasonably be more optimistic for tomorrow and the days to come,” said Sophie Brocas, a senior regional official.
However, in the southeastern Var region, more than 600 people fled after a fresh fire erupted near the Mediterranean coast. Another fire in Burgundy swept across 125 hectares without casualties.
Europe has been gripped by successive heatwaves and a major drought this year, attributed to human-caused climate change. In Spain, 207,000 hectares have burned nationwide, among the largest January-to-July areas on record. In France, some 92,000 hectares have burned, the largest area in two decades of records.
The EU warned that fire-prone conditions would spread towards central Europe. Fires also burned on the Greek island of Paros, with two firefighters dying in Crete and a third near Gytheio. In Turkey, hundreds were evacuated from tourist beaches in the south.
