Wildfires in Spain and southern France force tens of thousands to
evacuate
[July 24, 2026]
By JOSEPH WILSON and SAMUEL PETREQUIN
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s government declared a national emergency
Friday after wildfires forced the evacuation of some 10,000 people in
the central region of Madrid, while in southern France tens of thousands
fled their homes to escape two major blazes.
The national emergency in Spain means that the nation’s interior
ministry, which controls police and security forces, has taken charge of
overseeing the firefighting efforts by Spain’s regions as they struggle
to battle multiple blazes that are being fanned by a heatwave.
The regional government of Madrid, which spans a wide area around the
capital city, said 10,000 people had been evacuated from different
villages as multiple fires raged out of control late on Thursday.
Spain has seen an estimated 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles)
already burned this year, over four times the amount of terrain that was
burned through the first half of 2025.
This year's fires include Spain's second-largest ever fire that consumed
some 320 square kilometers (120 square miles) in recent days in the
province of Guadalajara north of Madrid. Thirteen people were also
killed in a fire in southern Spain earlier this month, the deadliest
fire in recent memory for Spain.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday called for a pact
between political parties to fight climate change that he said is key to
adapting to a more fire-prone climate.
Temperatures are expected to top 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) in
parts of southeastern Spain, including a high of 44 C (111 F).
Authorities in southwestern France on Friday ordered more mass
evacuations on the Atlantic coast because of large wildfires. An
estimated 40,000 people have been driven from their homes over the past
two days in the region.
More than 87 square kilometers (34 square miles) have been burned by the
blaze that has been raging since Wednesday near the touristic Cap Ferret
peninsula. Some people were forced to flee by boat.
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A wall of flames advances as a wildfire burns near Burgohondo, in
Ávila province, Spain, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (Mateo Lanzuela/Europa
Press via AP)
France requested the activation of the European Union’s Civil
Protection Mechanism.
“We will soon be able to rely on reinforcements including two
Croatian Canadair firefighting aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor
aircraft, and two heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech
Republic and Slovakia,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.
Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Europe is
the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing
twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s, according to
the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing severe
heat waves across Europe. Scientists warn that climate change is
exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness
especially in southeastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable
to health impacts and wildfires.
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Petrequin reported from Paris.
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