Tens of thousands of people forced from their homes as wildfires spread across France and Spain | Today’s news

Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes as massive fires spread across south-west France and central Spain, with some residents fleeing by boat from France’s Atlantic coast and Spain declaring a national state of emergency as firefighters struggle to bring multiple blazes under control.

France and Spain are plagued by forest fires due to extreme heat

Authorities in France and Spain evacuated an estimated 80,000 people on Friday as fires raged in parts of both countries. More than 60,000 people were reportedly evacuated in France, while about 20,000 had to leave their homes in Spain.

The scale of the evacuations was particularly pronounced on the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist spot on France’s Atlantic coast. The fire, which had been burning since Wednesday, had consumed around 100 square kilometers of land by Friday.

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Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated as large forest fires spread out of control across southwestern France and central Spain, exacerbated by extreme heat and strong winds.

The fires have already prompted around 80,000 evacuations, including about 60,000 people in France and 20,000 in Spain, and have consumed large areas of land, including about 100 square kilometers near the Cap Ferret peninsula.

Authorities are coordinating large-scale evacuation operations and deploying hundreds of firefighters while seeking international help, including resources for firefighters from other European countries.

The severity of the wildfires in Spain is largely attributed to extreme heat waves, drought and strong winds, which have created a very unfavorable environment for containment efforts.

Spain has declared a national state of emergency to streamline the coordination of firefighting efforts and the deployment of resources in response to unprecedented wildfires threatening populated areas, the first such declaration for wildfires in the country.

Located approximately 60 kilometers from Bordeaux, the area is known for its beaches, oyster farming villages and holiday resorts.

Smoke and flames rise as a forest fire progresses near La Adrada, Avila province, Spain, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

As the fire spread, residents were evacuated by road, while boats were used to transport people who could not leave by other means. About 1,500 people arrived by sea in the city of Arcachon, traveling in small water taxis and larger boats after fleeing the peninsula.

Read also | Spain declares national emergency as wildfires rage; France evacuates 40,000 people

French authorities deployed hundreds of firefighters and sent additional land and air assets to fight the flames. A second large fire further south along the coast also remained uncontained, with strong winds complicating firefighting operations. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 40,000 people had been evacuated from the Gironde department and another 23,000 from the Landes.

France and Spain requested help from other members of the European Union as the scale of the fires put further pressure on their firefighting resources. French President Emmanuel Macron said the country would receive reinforcements from several European countries, including firefighting planes from Croatia and Portugal, as well as heavy-duty helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Spain was also set to receive watercraft from Italy and Greece.

Beachgoers walk next to a beach in Lacanau Ocean, southwest France, as plumes of smoke rise into the sky from a forest fire on July 24, 2026. The fire raging in the northern part of the Arcachon Basin in the Gironde in southwestern France has swept over 3,400 hectares, according to the latest figures from the prefecture. More than 20,000 residents and tourists were evacuated from this part already devastated by the flames in 2022. Scientists have long warned that climate change caused by human activity using fossil fuels will make dry seasons more intense and last longer, creating ideal conditions for wildfires. (Photo: Maximilien LAMY / AFP)(AFP)

In Spain, the government declared a national state of emergency for forest fires for the first time after several fires affected the area around Madrid and the nearby province of Ávila. The decision put the Interior Ministry, which oversees the police and security forces, in charge of coordinating the response as the country faced a severe heat wave.

Around 18,000 people were evacuated from villages and towns west of Madrid, while another 1,500 residents fled the large fire in Ávila. Two fires west of the capital have merged into a single blaze that has burned approximately 30 square kilometers by Friday afternoon. Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz-Ayuso described it as the worst forest fire in the history of the region.

Read also | Spain has declared a national state of emergency due to wildfires near Madrid

A separate fire in Ávila has consumed approximately 90 square kilometers, with strong winds and hilly terrain making it difficult for firefighters to establish containment lines. Residents described scenes of advancing walls of flames and heavy smoke as emergency services worked to protect communities.

Residents evacuated from a forest fire near San Martin de Valdeiglesias take refuge in a sports hall in Villamanta, west of Madrid, on July 24, 2026. On July 23, 2026, Spain declared a national state of emergency in the Madrid area and Avila province near the capital due to several fires that got out of control. Scientists have long warned that climate change caused by human use of fossil fuels will make droughts more intense and last longer, creating ideal conditions for wildfires. (Photo: Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)(AFP)

During the week, Spain saw its worst fires on record in the Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid regions. Firefighters were also battling a large fire in Guadalajara that had burned approximately 320 square kilometers over the previous week. Earlier this month, a fire in southern Spain killed 13 people.

Fires also continued to affect parts of Sicily, Italy, where temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius, low humidity and strong winds fueled more fires. A firefighter has been killed in action at a blaze in Caltanissetta.

Authorities in France said they believed the causes of the two large fires were accidental. Meanwhile, firefighters and international reinforcements continued to work to contain the flames as evacuations continued in the affected areas.