Wildfires Force 200,000 to Flee France and Spain

More than 200,000 people were forced to flee their homes on Friday as fast-moving wildfires tore through southwestern France and central Spain, triggering mass evacuations near Bordeaux and Madrid amid extreme heat and dry weather.

Authorities said soaring temperatures, strong winds and prolonged drought fuelled the rapid spread of the fires, leaving firefighters struggling to contain multiple blazes. In parts of France's Atlantic coast, hundreds of residents escaped by boat as flames engulfed popular tourist areas.

France's Interior Ministry said around 141,000 people were evacuated from the Gironde and Landes regions, while Spain's Interior Ministry reported about 60,000 evacuations in central parts of the country.

Despite dozens of injuries among firefighters, officials confirmed there were no fatalities in either country. Emergency crews went door-to-door urging residents to leave as thick smoke and advancing flames threatened towns and villages.

In France, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the Gironde wildfire had scorched about 140 square kilometres and was moving towards Bordeaux after changing direction with shifting winds. Firefighting operations have been reorganised to slow the blaze and protect the city.

President Emmanuel Macron activated the government's national crisis response unit and ordered military assistance for civilian emergency services. Regional authorities described the wildfire as unprecedented in scale and said reinforcements from across France had been deployed.

The blaze, which erupted on Wednesday near the Cap Ferret peninsula, has destroyed dozens of homes and a campsite while injuring more than 40 firefighters. Around 1,500 evacuees were transported by water taxis and larger boats to the nearby city of Arcachon.

A separate wildfire in the neighbouring Landes region forced another 31,000 people to evacuate. Authorities believe both French fires were caused accidentally.

France has also requested assistance through the European Union's emergency response mechanism. Firefighting aircraft and helicopters from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are being deployed to support containment efforts.

In Spain, the government declared a national wildfire emergency for the first time as fires near Madrid and in Ávila province forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed solidarity with affected communities and said he would visit the disaster zone.

Driven by temperatures expected to exceed 39°C, two major fires west of Madrid merged into a single large blaze, burning around 30 square kilometres. Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso described it as the worst wildfire in the region's history.

Authorities also ordered about 20,000 more residents to remain indoors, warning that additional evacuations could become necessary. Protecting the historic town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial remains a top priority.

In neighbouring Ávila province, another wildfire has burned around 90 square kilometres. Police arrested one person and are investigating another after sparks from heavy machinery allegedly ignited the blaze in a restricted area.

Residents described scenes of panic as dense smoke and fast-moving flames surrounded their communities before evacuation orders were issued.

Spain is enduring one of its most destructive wildfire seasons on record. Firefighters are also battling the country's second-largest wildfire in Guadalajara province, while another blaze in southern Spain earlier this month claimed 13 lives.

According to Spain's Ecological Transition Ministry, more than 1,140 square kilometres have already burned nationwide this year—more than five times the area affected during the same period in 2025.

Experts say increasingly severe heat linked to climate change, combined with the abandonment of rural farmland that once acted as natural firebreaks, has made many parts of southern Europe more vulnerable to large, fast-moving wildfires.