Paris: Nearly 270000 people have been forced to leave their homes as massive wildfires continue to spread across parts of France and Spain, with extreme summer heat and dry weather making it difficult for firefighters to bring the blazes under control.
Authorities said around 200000 people have been evacuated in France, while about 70000 people have been displaced in Spain as flames continue to threaten homes, forests and communities. The fires are among the most serious to hit Western Europe this year and come after months of unusually high temperatures across the region.
Scientists say Western Europe has experienced an exceptionally hot summer, with repeated heatwaves creating ideal conditions for wildfires. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, June 2026 was the hottest June ever recorded in Western Europe.
Experts say the combination of intense heat, very little rainfall and strong winds has left forests and vegetation extremely dry, allowing fires to spread rapidly. They also point out that an unusually wet winter encouraged dense plant growth, which later dried out during the hot summer and became additional fuel for the fires.
Climate experts continue to warn that rising global temperatures are increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves across Europe. The continent is warming faster than any other, with average temperatures rising by more than 0.5 degrees Celsius every decade since the 1990s.
France has been particularly hard hit, especially in the southwest around Bordeaux, including the Gironde and Landes regions. Nearly 200000 residents have been evacuated as emergency services battle large and fast moving fires.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that around 98000 hectares of land have already been destroyed by wildfires across the country since the beginning of the year.
French Prime Minister SĂ©bastien Lecornu described the fires as unprecedented, saying the blaze in Gironde had become so powerful that it was creating its own wind patterns, making firefighting efforts even more challenging. He stressed that protecting human life remains the government's top priority and urged residents to obey evacuation orders immediately.
Authorities were also preparing to deploy a specially modified large cargo aircraft capable of dropping huge quantities of fire retardant over the Gironde fire in an effort to slow its advance.
In neighboring Spain, wildfires have been burning close to the capital, Madrid, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government's immediate priority was to save lives and protect populated areas, but warned that difficult hours still lay ahead as firefighters continued their work.
Sánchez said around 130000 hectares of forest have burned in Spain so far this year. That figure is significantly higher than the country's average of about 100000 hectares annually over the past decade, highlighting the growing severity of this year's fire season.
The wildfire crisis is not limited to France and Spain. Other parts of Europe are also facing dangerous fire conditions. In Italy, more than 350 separate fires have been reported across Sicily, while in Scotland emergency crews have been battling a large wildfire that has burned in a national park for more than 10 days.
Emergency services across Europe remain on high alert as hot, dry and windy conditions continue to fuel new fires. Officials have urged people living in affected areas to follow evacuation orders and avoid activities that could accidentally start new fires.
The widespread destruction has once again highlighted the growing impact of extreme weather across Europe, with authorities warning that prolonged heat and dry conditions are likely to keep wildfire risks high throughout the remainder of the summer.