Authorities in southwestern France are battling a massive wildfire that has forced 220,000 people from their homes in the Gironde region, as flames advance toward the historic wine city of Bordeaux. The blaze, which has been burning out of control since midweek, prompted 55,000 additional evacuations overnight on Sunday, according to regional officials.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the situation as “very unfavourable” after what he called “another difficult night” for fire crews. The fire, he said, “became extremely virulent again and unpredictable, generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area.” It calmed somewhat by dawn, but the threat remains acute.
An estimated 42,000 hectares of forest and scrubland have been consumed — an area roughly four times the size of Paris and seven times that of Manhattan. Successive heatwaves have left the vegetation tinder-dry, fueling the rapid spread. Gusting winds and arid conditions have complicated efforts to contain the blaze, which has already destroyed hundreds of homes.
Firefighters, now numbering 2,500, are supported by 18 aircraft, including planes and helicopters from other European nations. Soldiers have been deployed, and an A400M military cargo plane has been dropping ochre-coloured retardant. Local farmers have also stepped in, delivering water in tanks to keep crews fighting without interruption. “This allows firefighters to focus on the fire,” said Theo Hernandez, a wine grower in the area. “It’s very strong, very virulent, it’s spreading everywhere.”
The Gironde prefecture reported that 84 firefighters have been treated for injuries sustained during the extinguishing efforts. Evacuation orders were issued for at least five localities southwest of Bordeaux, with many residents seeking shelter at the Bordeaux Exhibition Centre.
Spain: fires near Madrid slowly contained
In Spain, wildfires that have been raging around Madrid are showing signs of containment, though authorities remain cautious. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Sunday that the night was “very positive in terms of bringing the flames under control,” but warned that “we still have some difficult hours ahead.”
Spain has evacuated 76,000 people, with another 30,000 confined to their homes. A man was killed Saturday in a wildfire in Manises, a suburb of Valencia, marking the country’s first recorded death in the latest fires. Evacuations were also carried out in the Valencia region on Sunday.
Rocío Domínguez, who fled with her dog from Chapinería, west of Madrid, described the scene as apocalyptic. “You couldn’t see anything. Everything was covered in ash,” she said. “We don’t know when we get to the town, if we’ll have half the house burned down or we’ll have it intact or we won’t have a house. All the clothes, all the memories, everything.”
The fires in both countries come amid a broader pattern of extreme heat and drought across southern Europe. Earlier this month, wildfires forced mass evacuations in France and Spain as a heatwave intensified. The blazes have also disrupted major events, including Tadej Pogačar's fifth Tour de France victory, which was reshaped by the fires.
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of such disasters, European nations are scrambling to adapt. Galicia has deployed AI and satellite detection to combat summer megafires, while the health risks from wildfire smoke, which can travel thousands of kilometres across the continent, are also drawing attention.
