New heatwaves threaten Spain, France as wildfire nears Bordeaux

Spain and France are bracing for a new wave of extreme heat this week, with temperatures expected to surpass 40°C in several regions, exacerbating wildfires that have already forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate. The most urgent threat is in southwestern France, where a massive wildfire is advancing on the city of Bordeaux, prompting officials to prepare for large-scale evacuations.

Record heat and fire risk across Spain

Spain’s national weather service has warned that the severe weather will persist until at least Sunday, with extreme fire risks accompanying the soaring temperatures. Wildfires continue to rage uncontrolled west of Madrid, where more than 100,000 people have been evacuated. Satellite imagery shows the rapid expansion of a massive fire that merged from several smaller blazes, now affecting over 27,000 hectares. Local officials describe these as the worst fires in the region’s history.

Gironde wildfire: ‘The fire of the century’

In France, the Gironde region remains the epicenter of the crisis. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned that the fire near Bordeaux “has a life of its own,” and is now just 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the city. Bordeaux’s mayor, Thomas Cazenave, said he is preparing for all eventualities, including potentially accommodating large numbers of evacuees. The mayor of Cestas, a town south of Bordeaux, Jerome Steffe, called the blaze “the fire of the century,” noting that 17,000 residents were evacuated overnight as the fire swelled. So far, 42,000 hectares have burned and 240 houses destroyed in the region.

France’s unprecedented fire season

President Emmanuel Macron, visiting the affected area, described the wildfire as “completely unprecedented” and the toughest since World War Two. He cautioned that despite progress, rising temperatures and wind mean the battle is far from over. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that France is enduring an unprecedented fire season, with 116,085 hectares burned and 13,566 fire starts since January. He emphasized that nine out of ten fires are human-caused, often from carelessness, but noted that some are deliberately set, with 162 arrests made since July 6.

Spain faces ‘worst fires in history’

Spain entered its fifth day of a national emergency as fires west of Madrid burned uncontrolled. The merged wildfire, captured in satellite images from July 24 and 26, shows the burn scar expanding rapidly over two days. Local officials have warned that the region faces the worst fires in its history. The scale of destruction has devastated residents, many of whom have lost homes. More than 220,000 people have been evacuated in France and over 100,000 in Spain as the crisis deepens.

With no relief in sight, both countries remain on high alert. The coming days will test the resilience of firefighters and emergency services as they confront what officials have described as an unprecedented crisis, intensified by the compounding effects of climate change.