Firefighters hasten efforts to contain massive wildfires in France and Spain ahead of heatwave – Europe live

The return of searing temperatures, from today in France and tomorrow in Spain, will complicate efforts to fight massive wildfires raging in the Bordeaux region and a number of sites in Spain.

On a visit to a crisis centre in Bordeaux, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, warned:

“The coming weeks will be tough and we have to hold out.”

Over the past week, the gigantic blaze in the region has ravaged 42,000 hectares (103,000 acres), forced 220,000 people to flee and destroyed 240 houses. Such is its size and intensity, it has created a rare pyrocumulonimbus cloud , packing lightning.

But as of Tuesday morning, it remained stable for the second night in a row, which offers hope that firefighters will be able to make further progress before the new heatwave complicates their efforts.

Macron confirmed that a forest fire in nearby Landes – which had forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 people – was now under control. But he warned it “remains virulent and we must be extremely cautious over the next few hours and the coming days”.

Spain has one crucial day to tackle the wildfires before weather conditions worsen again.

Ahead of the new heatwave, Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez told his fellow citizens: “We face difficult hours, complex hours.”

About 60,000 people have been forced to flee in Spain and 220,000 in France, often with just minutes’ notice. Hundreds were also evacuated from Italy.

The fires in Spain have affected an area of 77,000 hectares (190,000 acres) – nearly the size of New York City – according to authorities.

Spain’s state meteorological agency, Aemet , officially declared that a heatwave, the fourth of the summer, would begin on Wednesday, lasting until “at least” Sunday.

It’s Tuesday, 28 July 2026 , it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live .