Fires in Spain and France cause 267,000 evacuations

Forest fires raging in France and Spain forced around 267,000 people to leave their homes until this Saturday (July 25, 2026). There were 197,000 evacuations from the French regions of Gironde and Landes and more than 70,000 in Spain.

The Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, declared an emergency of national interest in the Community of Madrid and the province of Ávila. A man died in Manises, in the Valencia region, after being found inside a car in a ravine hit by fire.

Authorities have not yet determined a single cause for the emergence of the main outbreaks. The fires, however, were fueled by successive heat waves, months of little rain, dry vegetation and strong winds.

In France, the crisis began on July 22, with a fire in Saumos, in the Gironde, which had already burned 2,400 hectares and caused the evacuation of more than 10,000 people by the following day, according to the Reuters.

On July 23, a second major outbreak emerged in Biscarrosse, in the Landes department, where more than 2,500 hectares were affected and 23,000 people evacuated by Friday morning (July 24). On the same day, authorities ordered the withdrawal of all those remaining on the Cap-Ferret peninsula, while the Gironde fire had already burned 8,700 hectares.

This Saturday (Jul 25), the flames advanced to areas around 30 km from Bordeaux, causing new evacuations. The country is already mobilizing European troops, aircraft and reinforcements.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said at a press conference this Saturday that the country is facing a “long and very difficult battle”.

According to him, around 98,000 hectares have already been burned by forest fires in the country since the beginning of 2026, a historic record. The French government also activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism to receive foreign aircraft and teams.

In Spain, the main outbreaks intensified between Wednesday (Jul 22) and Thursday (Jul 23) in the municipalities of Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias, in the Community of Madrid, and Burgohondo, in Ávila. The simultaneous advance of the fires exceeded regional response capacity and led the Madrid government to ask national authorities to take over coordination of the emergency.

Reproduction/Ministry of Interior

Ministerial meeting of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior

The country’s interior minister declared an emergency of national interest on Thursday night. According to the Ministry, the measure was motivated by the simultaneous occurrence of fires, adverse weather conditions and the need to mobilize resources from different administrations. The decision placed the minister in charge of the operation and coordination of national, regional and municipal media.

On Friday, three active fires in the west of Madrid joined together, forming a single large fire. The flames remain active, despite the drop in temperatures. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said at a press conference this Saturday that the milder weather provided an opportunity for firefighters to work, but warned that the evolution of winds kept the situation complex.