Paris, July 26, 2026 – The Europe Today: Massive wildfires sweeping across France and Spain have forced the evacuation of approximately 260,000 people, as authorities intensified emergency response efforts to contain some of the worst blazes recorded in recent years.
According to officials, around 200,000 people were evacuated from their homes and holiday accommodations in France, particularly in areas surrounding the southwestern city of Bordeaux.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the operation as likely the largest civilian evacuation conducted in France during peacetime, underscoring the scale of the emergency.
To support firefighting efforts, the French military deployed 1,500 troops from Saturday evening. Authorities also employed an A400M military transport aircraft for firefighting operations for the first time. The aircraft is capable of dropping up to 20,000 litres of water or fire retardant in a single mission.
In neighboring Spain, authorities reported that wildfires have scorched approximately 25,000 hectares of land west of Madrid, where officials described the situation as the capital region’s most severe wildfire on record.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said around 60,000 people had been evacuated from affected areas in the Madrid region.
Meanwhile, local authorities confirmed one fatality in a wildfire near Valencia in eastern Spain.
Emergency services in both countries continue to battle the fast-moving fires amid challenging weather conditions, while authorities remain focused on protecting lives, containing the blazes and preventing further damage to communities and infrastructure.
