Key facts
- Wildfires are advancing towards Bordeaux, France, and multiple blazes are burning across Spain.
- Over 220,000 people have been evacuated in France's Gironde region.
- An estimated 42,000 hectares have burned in Gironde.
- In Spain, 76,000 people have been evacuated due to wildfires.
- A man died in a wildfire in Manises, Valencia, Spain.
Tens of thousands remain evacuated as authorities continue to battle raging wildfires in France’s Gironde region, near the city of Bordeaux. Shifting winds and arid conditions have complicated efforts to contain the blaze, which has burned an estimated 42,000 hectares of forests and scrubland. The French Interior Minister described the situation as "very unfavourable" and "extremely virulent."
Meanwhile, fires near the Spanish capital Madrid are slowly being contained, though evacuations were also carried out in the Valencia region. A man died in a wildfire in Manises, Valencia, marking Spain’s first recorded death in the latest fires. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez noted that the night was "very positive in terms of bringing the flames under control." A total of 76,000 people have been evacuated in Spain, while 30,000 others have been confined to their homes. Firefighters, supported by aircraft and military personnel from other European nations, are working to combat the blazes.