Wildfires across France and Spain forced more than 250,000 people from their homes by Saturday, July 25, as France deployed troops and a military transport plane and Spain confronted its first national wildfire emergency. The Associated Press reported that one man died in Manises in the Valencia region, the first confirmed death linked to the current fires, while officials in both countries warned that major blazes remained dangerous despite some improving weather.
French authorities reported evacuating about 167,000 people because of the Gironde fire and another 30,000 from the neighboring Landes department. The French Interior Ministry said nearly 98,000 hectares had burned nationwide since the start of 2026. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the operation as probably France's largest peacetime evacuation, while Bordeaux officials opened an exhibition center as a shelter and said it could accommodate up to 10,000 people.
The Gironde fire remained roughly 30 kilometers west of Bordeaux after becoming a firestorm on Friday, according to officials cited by AP. Authorities ordered precautionary evacuations in western suburbs and surrounding municipalities, mobilized soldiers, sent 1.5 million protective masks to areas affected by smoke and deployed an adapted A400M aircraft alongside at least 18 firefighting planes and helicopters. Officials said about 140 homes had been destroyed in the region, while dozens of firefighters had suffered injuries.
In central Spain, about 70,000 people were evacuated as fires burned west of Madrid and in nearby Ávila. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said 130,000 hectares had burned in Spain this year, compared with an annual average of 100,000 hectares during the previous decade. Spain assigned 2,600 firefighters, police and other emergency personnel, supported by 19 aircraft and helicopters, while lower winds and temperatures on Saturday offered crews a possible opportunity to contain the flames.
The emergency also disrupted transport and drew help from across Europe. France shortened Sunday's final Tour de France stage so security personnel could reinforce wildfire operations, while rail and road authorities urged travelers to postpone journeys through the southwest. AP reported that Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany and Switzerland were providing or preparing aircraft and helicopters for the French and Spanish fire fronts.
Officials and fire specialists linked the fires' exceptional speed to intense heat, prolonged dry conditions and climate change, which left forests and scrub highly combustible. Crews will now watch shifting winds near Bordeaux and try to use the cooler conditions in Spain to secure fire lines. The immediate priorities remain protecting populated areas, supporting evacuees and preventing new losses before authorities can determine when residents may safely return.
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