Here's the latest
• Wildfires stabilize: Wildfires in the hardest hit regions of Spain and France have stabilized, but temperatures are expected to rise beyond 100 degrees Fahrenheit in both countries today. The EU warns there is a risk of the fires spreading further east to Greece and Italy. See how CNN is tracking the wildfires.
• In France: The village of Le Porge in the Gironde region, one of the communities worst affected by the fires, is “still not secure” with more flare ups overnight and residents advised to wear masks because of toxic fumes.
• In Spain: The country’s prime minister says the situation is evolving “favorably,” with today’s efforts focused on containing the wildfires and cooling down any affected areas. The intensity of the fire in the Madrid region has reduced, but local authorites say caution is still required.
The French and Spanish wildfires in numbers, as some of those evacuated return home
Some of the hundreds of thousands of people evacuated from their homes in the parts of France and Spain hardest hit by wildfires are now being gradually allowed to return, as authorities say the blazes are beginning to stabilize.
Here’s a look at the wildfires in numbers:
France
Since the wildfires in France began, around 224,000 people have been evacuated in the French department of Gironde, French firefighters said today.
Of that figure, roughly 4,000 people were told to leave the popular tourist area of Lacanau in Gironde yesterday, according to the French public broadcaster Franceinfo.
Some 60,000 people from three towns in Gironde - just a few miles from Bordeaux city limits - will be allowed to return home, authorities said yesterday.
Another 36,000 people were evacuated from the region of Landes, with roughly 3,000 people instructed to leave their homes in the region of Var, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Sunday.
This may be France’s largest peacetime evacuation, Nuñez said.
In Gironde, roughly 42,000 hectares of land had been burned by Sunday, according to Nuñez. Around 4,800 hectares had also been burned in Landes by yesterday evening, he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that “the situation we are dealing with today is the most severe we have ever recorded, the toughest since the Second World War.”
“More than 160,000 hectares have already burned, and the season is far from over,” he said.
Only three out of 45 areas across France are experiencing “average” air quality, according to Atmo France, a network of air quality monitoring associations.
Spain
In Spain, at least 63,152 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in the country’s central regions of Madrid, Toledo and Avila, the Spanish interior ministry said Monday. But yesterday, at least 24,000 people were allowed to return, authorities said.
The total area scorched in the Madrid region alone is around 34,000 hectares, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of the Community of Madrid, said yesterday. The Burgohondo wildfire - the largest ever recorded in Spain - has scorched more than 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) in Spain’s southern Ávila province.
CNN’s Issy Ronald, Pierre P Bairin, Pau Mosquera, Joseph Ataman and Hira Humayun contributed to this reporing.
Risk of wildfires in Greece and Italy in coming days, EU's emergency response team says
Though the wildfires in Spain and France appear to be stabilizing, new blazes could soon begin further east in Europe, in countries like Greece and Italy, according to Maria Zuber, the head of the European Union’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre.
“The next risk, it’s already moving to Greece and also Central Europe,” Zuber told reporters today, according to Reuters.
While the EU has sent planes, helicopters and ground firefighting teams to France and Spain to tackle the current wildfires, some of the bloc’s aircraft have also been stationed to eastern and central Europe as the fire risk there rises, Zuber said.
Belgium deploying resources to help relief efforts in France, prime minister says
Belgium is deploying resources to help with relief efforts on the ground in France, where wildfires have decimated areas across the country this week, Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever announced today.
Both human and material resources will be sent to France, De Wever said in a post on X, where he also commended Belgium’s military and firefighters and offered his support to those affected by the fires.
Teams from Portugal, the Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Croatia, Germany, Slovakia and Turkey have also been deployed to France and Spain to help battle the wildfires there, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X yesterday.
Thanking those deployed “from the bottom of my heart,” von der Leyen said: “This is solidarity at its best, from the EU and beyond.”
Situation "remains critical" in the scorched village at the center of France’s wildfires
Le Porge in the Gironde region, one of the communities worst affected in France’s raging wildfires, is “still not secure” with more flare ups overnight, said the village’s mayor Martial Zaninetti, in a video message Wednesday. “The situation remains critical,” he added.
Zaninetti also warned of “toxic fumes” requiring people to wear masks.
The majority of Le Porge’s 3,500 residents were evacuated last week as the fire approached. Flames have since consumed more than 180 homes.
Shocking before and after images show how this once verdant village, nestled among pine trees, is now a ghost town of charred buildings, twisted metal and scorched earth.
CNN’s Saskya Vandoorne contributed reporting
Situation in Spain evolving "favorably," prime minister says
The situation regarding the wildfires in Spain is evolving “favorably,” according to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Efforts are currently focused on containing the wildfires and cooling down any affected areas to prevent re-ignition, he said.
At the time he was speaking, there were 10 active wildfires in Spain, Sánchez said.
Extreme temperatures raise concerns that wildfires may be exacerbated. Catch up here
Authorities fighting wildfire in France and Spain are beginning to express cautious optimism, with some blazes declared as stabilized though not extinguished.
There are fears, however, that soaring temperatures in Europe today may exacerbate the fires amid the continent’s fourth heat wave of the summer.
Here’s the latest:
- The wildfires blazing in Gironde in southwestern France have been “stabilized,” the prefecture said in an update earlier. It added, however, that today’s weather conditions are “unfavorable.”
- The Government Delegation in Madrid has said that the intensity of the fire in the region has reduced, thanks to “more favorable weather conditions overnight” and efforts of emergency workers.
- About 24,000 of the roughly 63,000 people who had been evacuated amid the wildfires in Spain have been allowed to return home, according to the Spanish Government Delegate in the Madrid region. Lockdown restrictions were eased on another 20,000 people in the region.
- Satellite imagery of wildfires in Spain and France recently obtained by CNN helps us understand exactly where the fires are burning, with smoke captured billowing from these sites.
CNN’s Pierre P Bairin, Pau Mosquera and Luke Unger contributed to this reporting.
Smoke seen billowing from Spain wildfires in satellite imagery
New satellite imagery obtained by CNN also shows smoke billowing from areas ravaged by wildfires in Spain.
This image shows thick plumes of smoke emanating from a wildfire in La Vall d’Uixó in eastern Spain, not far from a natural park.
The image below also shows smoke billowing from wildfires, captured on Sunday in the outskirts of Madrid.
Spain’s largest ever wildfire leaves town looking "like a war zone"
The smell of burned wood is strong and unrelenting. It’s hardly surprising: the forests south of the town of Cebreros, in Spain’s Ávila province, have been left completely devastated.
The Burgohondo wildfire — the largest ever recorded in Spain after scorching more than 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) — has burned everything in its path across southern Ávila province.
Conditions for firefighters could become even more challenging today, as Spain braces for the fourth heat wave of the summer.
The town’s 3,300 residents have been under lockdown since the end of last week because of the fire’s proximity.
He speaks from inside his small restaurant in the town center, which was finally able to reopen yesterday after authorities ordered it to remain closed during the days of lockdown.
He says that while the area is accustomed to sporadic wildfires during the summer, he has never witnessed anything on this scale.
Sitting beside him, Vanesa says she does not know whether she will be able to return home. She lives in the neighboring town of El Tiemblo, about seven kilometers (4.3 miles) to the south. It is another of the communities placed under lockdown by authorities.
Satellite images above Bordeaux show heat signatures and smoke trails
Firefighters are still battling wildfires on the outskirts of Bordeaux in southwestern France today, as rising temperatures add to the struggle to contain the flames.
Satellite imagery of the area recently obtained by CNN helps us understand exactly where the fires are burning, with heat signatures in the imagery matching the presence of the ongoing fires.
The image below was captured on Sunday, and shows grey smoke trails evident under the patches of white, which are clouds. It also shows the outskirts of Bordeaux.
Intensity of fire in area of Madrid region has reduced, local authority says
An update from Spain now, where the Government Delegation in Madrid has said that the intensity of the fire in the region has reduced, thanks to “more favorable weather conditions overnight” and efforts of emergency workers.
The perimeter of the wildfire is now approximately 155 miles (250 kilometers), the authority said, warning that “caution is still required today” as a result, in addition to the prospect of a new heat wave today.
Fire in Gironde stabilized, though rising temperatures "unfavorable," prefecture says
The wildfires blazing in Gironde in southwestern France have been “stabilized,” the prefecture said in an update this morning.
However, today’s weather conditions are “unfavorable,” the prefecture said, with temperatures expected to rise up to nearly 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 Celsius). Dry winds have also been blowing throughout the day, it said, with humidity levels falling.
Some 126 firefighters have been injured and 15 arrests have been made since the fires began, the Gironde prefecture said.
In a separate update last night, the local authority reported 240 homes in the area had so far been destroyed by the fires.
Europe enters a new era of inextinguishable megafires
Europe has always had wildfires, but they are becoming increasingly extreme as the climate crisis tightens its grip. Firefighters in France and Spain are currently trying to tame blazes more ferocious and erratic than they’ve tackled before.
“We have entered an era of fires that cannot be extinguished,” said Víctor Resco de Dios, lecturer of forestry engineering and global change at the University of Lleida in Spain. “These are fires that burn with the intensity of several atomic bombs.”
The blazes raging in France are the country’s worst on record and have burned so intensely they have created their own wind and lightning, transforming into erratic and unpredictable self-feeding firestorms. This phenomenon has been documented in Australia, Canada and the US, but was previously unprecedented in France.
In Spain, a fire west of Madrid is the nation’s largest on record, authorities have said. More than 300,000 people have been evacuated across both countries.
Complete suppression of fires of this magnitude is almost impossible until the fuel runs out or persistent rain arrives, experts say.
In the future, scientists say we should expect even more frequent and severe wildfires as long as humans continue to burn fossil fuels and push up temperatures.
“It’s difficult to predict how far things might go,” said Resco de Dios, “we will soon be unable to rule out Dantean scenarios like those seen in California or Australia, with fires or fire complexes reaching hundreds of thousands of hectares or even a million hectares.”
Read more here on Europe’s new era.
Could "smoke taint" from the wildfires affect the taste of wine?
At the Château Smith Haut Lafitte outside of Bordeaux, France, winery staff are preparing for the unprecedented as a wildfire rages nearby.
“It’s an experience we’ve never underwent before,” Ludovic Fradin, the deputy managing director of the winery, told CNN’s Paula Newton.
Fradin said that the winery – which includes a five-star hotel – hasn’t received instructions to evacuate the premises just yet, but staff are preparing for the worst.
Fradin said that the Château Smith Haut Lafitte has developed a plan in case staff need to move their livestock, which includes cows and llamas. In the meantime, the winery is providing firefighters with pastries and water.
The fire’s proximity to France’s famous vineyards near Bordeaux has caused alarm throughout the wine-loving world. Château Smith Haut Lafitte produces some of the most highly regarded - and expensive - wines.
Forest fires often cause ripe grapes to take on a bitter taste from smoke, an issue known as “smoke taint” in the wine industry. On Saturday, wine expert Nicolle Croft said that she’d received many calls from anxious observers about possible harms to the 2026 vintage.
However, Croft told CNN that the grapes around Bordeaux aren’t yet ripe enough to be harmed by smoke. “The grapes are like very hard, small peas,” she said. “They aren’t absorbing any aromas.”
However, if the fires continue for longer, the smoke may become a problem. Dr. Phil Crews, a winemaker and chemist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, told CNN on Saturday that as grapes ripen, their sugars could bind with phenols in smoke. The resulting taint is “ashy, foul tasting and smelling,” Crews said.
“If the wind is blowing in the direction of the vineyard, then there’s going to be a problem,” said Crews.
La Porge: The ravaged village at the center of France's wildfire crisis
Before and after images show the devastating impact of wildfires on the Gironde region in France.
The town of Le Porge was evacuated as flames approached, forcing the majority of 3,500 residents to leave their homes behind.
How planes and helicopters have been helping fight the wildfires
As wildfires rage in Spain and France, authorities have deployed planes and helicopters to help fight the flames.
Helicopters like the Blackhawks from the Czech Republic seen scooping water west of Bordeaux Monday, use a bucket suspended by a cable controlled from the cockpit.
Pilots hover over a water source, lower the bucket to fill it, then fly to the fire and release the water, usually directed by crews on the ground. A Blackhawk’s bucket typically holds 600 to 700 gallons of water, according to the US-based United Aerial Firefighters Association (UAFA) — and has been historically used to fight wildfires in places like California.
Other types of helicopters used in Europe can carry about 2,600 gallons.
Helicopters can use lakes, rivers, reservoirs or large ponds — bodies of water deep enough and with enough surface area to allow the aircraft to safely hover and dip the bucket. But helicopters are limited in how fast they can travel when carrying water, which is why finding nearby water sources is important.
Water scooper aircraft are also used to fight wildfires. They’re amphibious planes that fly close to the surface of the water — typically lakes or reservoirs, but sometimes rivers — scooping up water as they skim across. They can carry 700 to 1,600 gallons per load and need large bodies of water — at least 5 feet deep, UAFA says.
Water-dropping aircraft are just part of the aerial response. Fixed-wing airtankers carry thousands of gallons of fire retardant — a usually bright-colored substance that coats vegetation and slows the spread of flames, or water mixed with chemical enhancers.
These aircraft are typically loaded at airports or airbases before carrying out their mission.
But key to all these operations is safety. Aircraft need clear, unobstructed access to water sources, which means the public — especially boaters and swimmers — should stay away during operations, or move away quickly if they see such an aircraft approaching.
Evacuees in Spain allowed to return home
About 24,000 of the 63,000 people who had been evacuated amid the wildfires in Spain have been allowed to return home, according to Francisco Martín, the Spanish Government Delegate in the Madrid region. Lockdown restrictions were eased on another 20,000 people in the region.
“Right now, we are in the process of bringing the wildfire under control,” Martín said. “We are moving closer to containing it, as its perimeter has not advanced for some time.”
Earlier in the day, officials said wildfires raging just west of Madrid were slowly improving, leading to authorities feeling more optimistic. However, about 6,000 hectares (23 square miles) burnt overnight in the greater Madrid area, taking the total area scorched to about 131 square miles, according to Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of the Community of Madrid.
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