Here's the latest
• Hotter weather ahead: As firefighters continue battling blazes in France and Spain, temperatures in hard-hit areas are expected to rise in the coming days with no rain forecast.
• Mass evacuations: More than 300,000 people have been displaced in France and Spain due to the wildfires. Residents taking shelter are worried about the lasting impact of the blazes.
• Climate crisis: Europe is experiencing more wildfires than normal this summer. An abnormally wet winter and scorching temperatures in summer could have fueled the flames.
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Madrid wildfires advancing more slowly but remain “uncontrolled,” authorities say
The wildfires tearing through the landscape just west of Madrid advanced more slowly overnight but remain “active and uncontrolled,” Spanish authorities said this morning.
The slower pace of advance allowed firefighting teams to battle the flames, and they identified three fronts, with the most active one located in the hills just north of the San Juan Reservoir, which contain several hiking trails and local beauty spots.
About 15 kilometers south of that hotspot, some elderly residents will be allowed to return to their care home in the town of San Martín de Valdeiglesias, said local official Francisco Martín Aguirre, the Spanish government’s delegate in Madrid.
People take shelter in Bordeaux as wildfires spread
These pictures, taken over the weekend, show the evacuation operation in full swing in the French city of Bordeaux.
As we’ve been reporting, tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and holiday lets in villages surrounding the city.
Flames tear through vegetation in central Spain
The sky burnt orange overnight into Monday in Sotillo de la Adrada, in Spain’s central-western province of Ávila.
This video shows firefighters battling fierce flames ripping through vegetation, propelled, in part, by strong gusts of wind.
In pictures: Emergency crews battle wildfires in France and Spain
Firefighters are racing to contain blazes in France and Spain as the weather is forecast to get hotter in the coming days with no rain expected.
A look at what it’s like on the ground:
Wet winter could have fueled summer wildfires in Europe
An abnormally wet winter in Europe — with long-lasting rain and frequent storms in January and February — is likely a factor in the wildfires.
The high moisture during winter would have spurred growth in grasses, brush and other vegetation. Then temperatures turned record-hot in western Europe in May, just as France and Spain’s precipitation fell off a cliff, leading to drought.
Because the rain stopped at the exact same time temperatures surged, the moist soils dried out at unprecedented speeds. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as a “flash drought,” or one that takes hold very fast.
Research shows the warming effect of climate pollution has significantly increased the frequency and extent of flash droughts in Europe. The hotter atmosphere acts like a dry sponge that greedily soaks up soil moisture, creating the drought that fuels wildfires.
A closer look at the fires near Madrid and Bordeaux
We’re closely following the latest developments as emergency crews race to contain wildfires in Spain and France, with temperatures expected to soar by midweek in the hardest-hit areas.
Here’s a closer look at the situation in two key fire zones:
France has staged its biggest peacetime evacuation since World War II as fires rage in the Gironde region. Many people are sheltering in Bordeaux, which is France’s sixth-most populous metropolitan area.
About 1 million people live in the metro area, according to census data, while only about 270,000 residents live within the city itself, according to World Population Review. The city’s mayor said earlier today that the municipality is not directly threatened, but surrounding communities have been evacuated.
Le Porge, a commune to the west of Bordeaux with 3,500 residents, has been devastated.
Meanwhile, in Spain, at least one person has died in the wildfires.
More than 100,000 people have been evacuated, including nearly 30,000 in the Madrid region alone, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry.
A key focus for Spanish firefighters has been keeping two wildfires west of the capital from merging, according to local media.
CNN’s Issy Ronald, Pau Mosquera, Renée Rigdon, Niamh Kennedy, Allison Chinchar, Tim Lister, Oliver Sherwood and Melissa Bell contributed to this report.
Satellite image shows wildfires burning in central Spain
Satellite imagery provided by the European Space Agency showed large wildfires burning west of the Spanish capital Madrid on Sunday.
More than 100,000 people have been evacuated, including nearly 30,000 in the Madrid region alone, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry.
Firefighters race to contain blazes as weather expected to get hotter. Here's the latest
Firefighters are racing to contain devastating blazes in France and Spain as soaring temperatures and no rain are expected in hard-hit areas this week, threatening to exacerbate the flames.
The wildfires have displaced more than 300,000 people, and prompted France’s biggest peacetime evacuation since World War II.
Here are the latest developments:
- Hot weather on the way: Temperatures are set to rebound in the coming days in parts of Spain and France, with highs possibly surpassing 100F in some places.
- Latest on the fires: Many people are sheltering in Bordeaux as fires continue to rage in Gironde, an area in southwestern France. Le Porge, a commune to the west of Bordeaux home to about 3,500 people, has been badly damaged. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated in Spain, including nearly 30,000 in the capital, according to the country’s interior ministry, as firefighters work to contain nearby blazes. At least one person has died in the country, authorities said.
- Elsewhere in Europe: The Italian Coast Guard said Sunday that it rescued over 400 tourists and swimmers from a fire in Apulia, on Italy’s southeast coast. The fire at Cala Manacore, a seaside location, left no escape route except by sea.
- Evacuees’ worries: In a sports center turned makeshift shelter in Moncofa, eastern Spain, evacuees worried about the lasting effect the fires will have on the environment. West of Madrid, the ground is still smoldering days after wildfires moved through.
CNN’s Pau Mosquera, Max Saltman, Maureen Chowdhury, Laura Sharman and Issy Ronald contributed reporting.
Hot weather expected in France and Spain fire zones
Temperatures across the Spain and France fire zones will start climbing again on Monday and reach abnormally hot levels by midweek.
Temperatures during the weekend in both countries have been 10 degrees Celsius (nearly 20 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than last week, with highs in the mid- to upper 20s Celsius (upper 70s to low 80s Fahrenheit).
However, temperatures will rebound and peak again by Tuesday and Wednesday, climbing a few degrees above average back to the mid 30s (upper 90s Fahrenheit) in many parts of Spain and France.
Temperatures as high as the upper 30s (100F) are possible around Madrid on Tuesday and Wednesday. The hotter temperatures could last a few days in France but linger longer in Spain.
Light rain during the weekend – less than 20 mm (less than 1 inch) – missed the largest fire zones in southwestern France and central Spain, and no rain is in the forecast there for at least the next several days.
Gusty winds have eased and will remain light through at least Tuesday, helping firefighters as they work to increase fire containment.
Why the wildfires in Europe are so fierce this year
French authorities say more than 220,000 people have been displaced by wildfires, as firefighters continue to battle the flames in France's Gironde region. CNN's Melissa Bell reports.
Europe is experiencing more wildfires than normal this summer after scorching temperatures dried out the vegetation so much that the landscape is like a tinderbox.
If any spark catches, the vegetation is so dry that flames will more easily spread across it. That situation has been compounded by a wet winter that provided new vegetation, meaning there is more potential kindling, too.
This year, the continent has seen far more land burnt than the annual average for the same period, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). Still, as of July 22, slightly less land had burnt across the continent than during the same period last year, which was the worst on record.
In France, however, the situation is unprecedented. The country has already recorded more than 300 wildfires this year, compared to an annual average of 93, according to the EFFIS.
The climate crisis is driving hotter, drier weather, which sets the stage for fiercer fire seasons as it parches the landscape, sucking waters from rivers, lakes and soil.
In France, soil moisture is the lowest it has ever been this early in the summer season, and is approaching the lowest levels ever recorded, according to weather service Météo-France.
CNN’s Max Saltman contributed reporting.
Spain evacuee on wildfires: "What really hurts is the emotional loss"
As fires continue to rage in eastern Spain, a sports center turned makeshift shelter in Moncofa is hosting local evacuees. There, some are comparing this fire season to previous years.
Others are concerned about the effect the fires will have on the surrounding environment.
