France and Spain wildfires face new heatwave threat
Authorities say fires near Bordeaux and Madrid are slowing, but extreme heat could revive blazes after mass evacuations.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
France Spain wildfires that pushed flames close to Bordeaux and Madrid have begun to slow, authorities said Tuesday, but another heatwave is expected to raise the risk again this week. The warning matters because hot, dry weather could strengthen existing fires and help start new ones across already strained areas.
In southwestern France, nearly 4,000 people were evacuated Tuesday from tourist sites around Lacanau in the Gironde region, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. The evacuations brought the total number of people who have left Gironde to well above 250,000.
Gironde, a wine-producing region that includes the historic city of Bordeaux, has been the worst-hit area in France. The French newspaper Le Figaro published images showing ash on a beach in Lacanau, and Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas has barred sporting and cultural events until August 8.
How will the heatwave affect France and Spain wildfires?
France’s fourth heatwave of 2026 was expected to begin Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit, in the coming days. Spain was expected to face even higher temperatures when the heatwave arrived there Wednesday.
A heatwave can worsen wildfires by drying vegetation and making flames easier to spread, especially when firefighters are already battling multiple fronts. Authorities warned the new round of heat could fan active fires and trigger fresh outbreaks.
Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for France’s national firefighters federation, told BFMTV that crews were working in a fragile situation. “We will continue attacking this fire despite the forecast rise in temperatures,” he said.
Spain has also seen large-scale evacuations. Authorities said 116,000 people have had to leave their homes since the fires began, though some residents have now been allowed back.
In the central province of Toledo, people from nine of 11 evacuated towns were permitted to return Tuesday. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said residents “can be a little more at ease” after overnight gains against the country’s fires, most of which are concentrated in central Spain.
Firefighters continued to battle blazes in the neighboring provinces of Avila and Toledo. About 800 square kilometers, or 310 square miles, of land have burned, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters.
Reuters reported that one evacuee from eastern Spain described the scene as “total chaos.” The evacuee said it looked “like in the movies where hell cracked the ground open, and you see the red hell.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez linked the fires to climate concerns, calling them “the most painful expression of a climate emergency.” Sanchez said authorities were beginning “to see the light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against wildfires,” while warning that the next heatwave still posed a serious test.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.