Raging wildfires in France and Spain have prompted the evacuation of a third of a million people across southwest Europe.
Both France and Spain are experiencing one of the most severe wildfire outbreaks in recorded history, fueled by extreme heat, drought, and strong winds. Firefighters have battled the blazes from the air and on the ground in severe conditions.
Across France and Spain, roughly 330,000 people have been driven from homes and vacation sites by huge wildfires.
On Tuesday, fresh flames prompted the evacuation of 4,000 more people from tourist areas along the Atlantic coast on Tuesday, according to French authorities. The new blaze burned near Grand Crohot, a popular Atlantic beach on the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula.
"The situation remains complicated. That's clear. We're not out of the woods yet," according to Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas on Tuesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the wildfire crisis as possibly the most severe the country has faced since World War II.
As a precaution, roughly 60,000 residents were evacuated from Le Haillan and parts of Mérignac and Eysines, located outside Bordeaux's ring road. Since no new blazes have erupted in the areas, residents were told they could return home on Tuesday. But authorities urged residents to keep their cell phones on and their emergency bags packed in case conditions change.
On July 23, Spain declared a national emergency as several blazes merged into one massive wildfire west of Madrid, prompting the country to declare its first-ever national emergency over a wildfire. At least 14 people have died in Almeria, Spain, making 2026 one of the country’s deadliest fire seasons in decades.
Spain prepared for its fourth heat wave of the summer as several wildfires continued to burn out of control, including the largest wildfire ever recorded in the country's history.
On Tuesday, Spanish authorities further scaled back emergency measures linked to the wildfires, allowing residents to return to 13 municipalities and affected areas in the Madrid region and Avila province.
The fires began early July and have burned hundreds of thousands of acres of forest and grassland.
Fires have burned 1,530 square kilometers in Spain in 2026, Ecology Minister Sara Aagesen said.