Major forest fires in southwestern France and central Spain have forced more than 300,000 people to leave their homes or seek refuge in a safe place. French authorities have described the situation as the largest evacuation in the country during peacetime. By Sunday, the fire had reached within 15 kilometers of Bordeaux, the historic center of winemaking, and Spain has declared its first-ever nationwide state of emergency due to forest fires.

Bordeaux is under threat

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned on Sunday that the fire situation "still remains extremely unfavorable." According to his data, the scorched area in the Gironde department has already reached 42,000 hectares, or about 104,000 acres. About 220,000 people have been evacuated from Gironde and Landes, and police patrolled homes overnight in towns like Marcheprime and Cestas. Another 36,000 people were forced to leave their homes due to a separate fire front in the south, in Landes, bringing the total number of evacuees in southwestern France to over 250,000.

Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave stated on Sunday that "the fire is about 15 kilometers from the entrances to the city." According to The Telegraph, the Bordeaux city council had been considering the possibility of a full evacuation of the city's 270,000 residents. The fire has also generated a rare phenomenon - a pyrocumulonimbus, a thundercloud formed by the fire itself, which creates its own air currents and makes fighting the flames even more difficult.

Spain introduces a state of emergency

In Spain, over 76,000 people have been evacuated, and another 30,000 have been forced to remain in their homes, according to official government data. The US Embassy in Madrid issued an urgent warning after active fire outbreaks were reported in the Madrid and Avila regions. For the first time in its history, Spain has introduced a national state of emergency due to forest fires that have engulfed territories west of the capital.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the fire-affected area in Avila on Sunday and called for a nationwide pact against what he called a "climate emergency." According to TRT World, Sánchez stated: "This catastrophe must become an occasion for concluding a major social pact for the climate emergency," once again putting forward a proposal he first raised in August 2025.

European reaction and outlook

Under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Greece and Italy sent two Canadair firefighting aircraft to Spain, and Portugal deployed over 100 troops. In France, the army is clearing vegetation and building firebreaks as the situation worsens.

The crisis began with a rapidly spreading fire near Les Parquets on July 23 and is deepening against the backdrop of record temperatures in Western Europe. Authorities warn that with the new heatwave expected in the coming days, the situation could worsen even further. "Another difficult night on the forest fire fighting front," Nuñez wrote on X early Sunday morning.