France and Spain were racing to contain rapidly spreading wildfires on Saturday as thousands of people began leaving suburbs of Bordeaux and Spanish officials warned that stronger winds could further intensify blazes near Madrid and Ávila.
French authorities ordered evacuations in Le Haillan, Eysines and Mérignac as fires advancing through the Gironde region showed no sign of being brought under control.
More than 141,000 people have now been evacuated from Gironde and the neighbouring Landes department since the fires began earlier this week. Many are residents and holidaymakers from communities along France’s Atlantic coast.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the fires had reached a level never previously experienced in France. The army has been deployed to assist firefighters and emergency services.
Fire moves towards Bordeaux
One of the largest fires began near Saumos and spread through pine forest towards the Cap Ferret peninsula. Authorities ordered the popular holiday destination to be evacuated village by village as flames threatened homes, campsites and the peninsula’s only major access road.
Some residents and tourists were removed by boat after road traffic became heavily congested. The fire has destroyed more than 100 homes and a campsite while burning through thousands of hectares of forest.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described it as a self-sustaining fire capable of changing direction. Its principal movement has been eastwards, bringing it closer to the Bordeaux metropolitan area.
President Emmanuel Macron activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. Firefighting aircraft from Croatia and Portugal and heavy helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia were expected to reinforce the French response.
France was dealing with 32 active fires, while approximately 50,000 hectares have been scorched since the beginning of the year—almost four times the area recorded by the same stage last year.
Spanish fires threaten to merge
In Spain, two major fires west of Madrid have already combined into one enormous front. Officials warned that a third fire advancing from Ávila could join them.
More than 63,000 people have been evacuated or ordered to remain inside their homes across the affected regions.
Spain has declared its first national emergency specifically linked to wildfires. The decision allows the central government to assume greater control over responsibilities normally managed by the country’s autonomous regions.
Madrid’s regional authorities described the emergency as being of “extreme gravity” and warned that several fire fronts could advance beyond the capacity of existing firefighting resources.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said all available national resources had been deployed and was expected to visit the affected areas on Saturday.
Firefighters were hoping to use any temporary improvement in conditions to strengthen containment lines. However, officials warned that stronger winds could rapidly spread embers, alter the direction of the flames and create new fires ahead of the main fronts.
Extreme heat, low humidity and vegetation dried by successive heatwaves have created exceptionally dangerous conditions across both countries. More than 200,000 people have now been evacuated or confined as France and Spain confront one of Europe’s most serious wildfire emergencies in recent years.
Newshub Editorial in Europe – 25 July 2026
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