France, Spain Battle Massive Wildfires as Heatwave Threat Looms

By Staff, Agencies

Firefighters in France and Spain are racing to contain record-breaking wildfires as a new heatwave threatens to worsen conditions and complicate efforts to control the flames.

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska warned that Monday and Tuesday were “absolutely crucial days” before temperatures rise again, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “We face difficult hours, complex hours” ahead.

A wildfire in Avila, west of Madrid, has become Spain’s largest on record, burning around 50,000 hectares, with total scorched land near the capital reaching 70,000 hectares.

In France, authorities are struggling to contain a major blaze in Gironde, where temperatures are expected to reach 40C this week.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the fire as “extremely intense and unpredictable,” as it approached the Bordeaux area and forced mass evacuations.

The blaze has burned around 42,000 hectares, while another fire in nearby Landes that led to the evacuation of more than 30,000 people has been contained but remains dangerous.

For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that “the coming weeks will be tough,” as officials described this year’s wildfire season as “completely exceptional.”

More than 116,000 hectares of French land have burned since January, while Spain has recorded around 172,000 hectares of burned forests — far above previous years.

Meanwhile, European officials warned that the wildfire season could continue until November, with the European Union sending aircraft, helicopters, and firefighting teams to support both countries.

Notably, Scientists have linked the worsening fires to climate change, with Sanchez warning that wildfires are “no longer an exception. It is the rule.”

Other European countries, including Italy and Portugal, are also battling major fires as another wave of extreme heat grips the continent.

Italy is preparing for temperatures of up to 40C, while Portugal has deployed more than 1,000 firefighters to tackle spreading blazes.