Devastating wildfires are still burning across western Europe, with a blaze in the hills west of Madrid now Spain’s largest ever and a separate fire outside Bordeaux in southwestern France having burned through an area four times the size of Paris. Around 360,000 people have been evacuated across both countries.
Firefighters have been racing to bring the fires under control before an incoming heatwave, with temperatures expected to soar past 40°C in some regions. France’s Gironde and Landes departments are under a yellow heatwave alert, while Spain’s weather service has warned of “extreme” conditions ahead.
Visiting a fire-scarred area of Gironde near Bordeaux, President Emmanuel Macron described France as facing a “completely unprecedented wildfire,” calling it the toughest the country has faced since World War Two. He said a smaller blaze in Landes had been contained, but the fight continues around Bordeaux.
Adding to the danger, a giant fire-generated thunderstorm has formed above the Bordeaux region, a phenomenon NASA has described as the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds.” These storms can produce dry lightning capable of sparking new fires.
The scale of the disaster is fuelling renewed climate warnings. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the climate emergency is “making wildfires even more violent and heat waves more frequent.”
Air Quality Concerns in France
French authorities are urging residents in smoke-affected areas to stay indoors as much as possible. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the government remains “very vigilant about air pollution” and advised people with respiratory or heart conditions to wear protective masks if they must go outside. The Gironde Fire and Rescue Service has separately warned evacuated residents against returning home prematurely, stressing that the fire “is by no means contained, much less extinguished” and that the mere presence of smoke should be enough to keep people away.
Front Pages Capture the Mood
Newspapers across France and Spain have led with the crisis. Le Monde described a “relentless fight against fires,” while Le Parisien summed up conditions simply: “Fires, heat waves, smoke, suffocating.” In Spain, La Razón warned of “24 critical hours to govern the fire,” while ABC ran an image of evacuees in a room filled with temporary beds under the headline “170,000 besieged by fire.”
Evacuations Mount in Spain
CCTV footage has captured the rapid spread of one Spanish wildfire, underscoring the intensity of the blazes. Authorities have evacuated 79,000 people and confined a further 30,000 to their homes while battling fires around Madrid and in the Valencia region.
A Heat Dome Builds
Forecasts have shifted sharply upward overnight, with temperatures expected to reach 37°C in parts of southwestern France, where the Gironde fire continues to burn. Conditions are set to worsen further, with highs of 38°C expected in Paris and Tours, 36°C in Lyon and Grenoble, and up to 40°C in the southwest. Météo-France has placed Gironde, Landes, and more than a dozen eastern departments under a yellow heatwave warning from midday.
In Spain, meteorologists are warning of a powerful “heat dome” developing over the peninsula, trapping hot air and pushing temperatures higher still. Madrid itself could see highs of 37°C, while the nearby town of Ávila, where a fire has become Spain’s largest on record, remains under severe strain. Spain’s state meteorological agency says the heatwave will persist until at least Sunday, warning that high temperatures and locally gusty southerly winds will make firefighting even more difficult. Friday is expected to be the hottest day of the week, with Córdoba forecast to reach 44°C and Toledo and Zaragoza both nearing 42°C.
Bordeaux Fire ‘Stabilised’ After Calm Night
The megafire in Gironde remains “stabilized” this morning following a calmer night, according to the regional prefecture. Several flare-ups occurred overnight but were brought under control north of Le Porge and Cap-Ferret thanks to firefighting crews. Officials said the burnt area has not expanded further, though 93 firefighters have been injured overall during the blaze.
“We are one of the hardest-hit towns, closest to the fire front,” said Manuel Martinez, mayor of Marcheprime in the Gironde region, describing “a raging fire that we are learning to understand.” “We are at war with an enemy,” he added, calling for greater resources to support firefighting crews.
