Spain Fire Stabilises as France Battles Intensifying Wildfires

A major wildfire in central Spain has been brought under control, offering a rare moment of relief as extreme heat continues to fuel wildfire threats across Spain and France.

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Wednesday that the blaze had stabilised, despite earlier warning that the country faced “three tough days” due to high temperatures and strong winds.

Authorities have lifted all evacuation and shelter-in-place orders in Avila Province, although some restrictions remain in parts of the Madrid region. However, officials have warned of another wildfire in the northwestern province of Zamora, where six towns have been evacuated and around 1,000 residents advised to remain indoors.

Spain’s national weather agency, AEMET, said temperatures were expected to reach 40°C (104°F) in at least six regions on Wednesday, prompting orange weather alerts, the country’s second-highest warning level.

In France, temperatures in the southwest were forecast to climb from around 33°C on Tuesday to as high as 42°C, with dry afternoon winds expected to increase the fire risk.

Firefighters managed to keep a major wildfire west of Bordeaux under control overnight. Tram services near Bordeaux Airport have resumed, hotels have reopened, and the airport remains operational. However, authorities cautioned that the wildfire threat is far from over.

Officials in Lege-Cap-Ferret reported several flare-ups but said firefighters had successfully contained them. Journalists from BFM also reported new outbreaks in the region.

“We remain vigilant today because of the forecast rise in temperatures and stronger winds this afternoon,” firefighter commander Matthieu Jomain said.

The European Union’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre has also warned that Greece, Italy and parts of Central Europe face an increased wildfire risk in the coming weeks.

The fires have caused widespread destruction, particularly in the Landes region west of Bordeaux, where about 42,000 hectares (104,000 acres) of mainly pine forest have been destroyed.

Around 220,000 people, including residents and holidaymakers, have been evacuated as flames threatened the Cap Ferret peninsula on France’s Atlantic coast, which is accessible by only one road.

Among those affected is 18-year-old Raphael Fohanno, whose parents’ home in the coastal town of Biscarrosse was destroyed.

“It’s a shock. Just an hour earlier I’d been in my room, and now there’s nothing left,” Fohanno said. His parents and sister were evacuated by helicopter while he was away from the house.