Express & Star
·Jul 2026
200,000 People Flee Wildfires in France and Spain as Some Leave by Boat
Wildfires in south-western France and central Spain forced about 200,000 people to evacuate, including 141,000 in France and 60,000 in Spain. In France, fires near the Cap Ferret peninsula and in Landes destroyed homes and a campsite, injured 42 firefighters and threatened to move toward Bordeaux; some 1,500 evacuees escaped by boat. Spain declared a national wildfire emergency as fires near Madrid and in Avila burned large areas and displaced tens of thousands, while another major blaze in Castilla-La Mancha remained active. Extreme heat, high winds and dry, overgrown rural areas worsened the fires. France and Spain requested European assistance, receiving or expecting firefighting aircraft and helicopters, while authorities investigated suspected accidental or negligent causes.