New evacuation orders have been issued in south-west France due to wildfires as heat wave conditions return
French authorities ordered nearly 4,000 people to evacuate on Tuesday from tourist resorts on the Atlantic coast as returning heat threatened fragile firefighters at a major blaze west of Bordeaux.
The new release deepened the wildfire emergency to an alarming degree across southwestern Europe. Fires in France and Spain have forced about 330,000 people to evacuate, while Spain entered its fourth summer heat wave with several wildfires, including the largest on record.
Firefighters tackled the French blaze on a calm night, controlling the eruption of coastal dunes and keeping the burnt area at 420 square kilometres.
Authorities have described the Gironde fire as stable, unrelenting – meaning it could spread again as temperatures rise and humidity drops.
The safety order included campsites, holiday resorts, tourist accommodation and leisure parks around the Lacanau resort, Gironde regional authorities said.
“We are in a precarious situation,” Eric Brocardi, spokesman for the French firefighters’ union, told BFMTV on Tuesday. “We will continue to attack this fire even though the temperature is rising.”
The blaze, which has been raging since last week, was unpredictable, at times turning into a self-sustaining hurricane as it burned an area four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people to evacuate their homes and apartments.
Even after 24 hours without further progress, officials warned that smoldering vegetation, rising temperatures and falling humidity could produce new outbreaks near the main circuit.
93 firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze, the district said.
Progress made by the 2nd French fire
The action held overnight in the Gironde contrasted with a clear sign of progress in the neighboring Landes, where thousands of evacuees were allowed to go home after a separate wildfire was tackled. The fire left more than 30,000 residents and tourists stranded.
About 15,000 people were authorized to return home on Monday night in Sanguinet, Parentis-en-Born and other parts of Biscarrosse.
Residents of the Biscarrosse airfield and a large camping ground were among those allowed to return, although several other areas remained inaccessible.
The recovery marked an important step for communities that were evacuated as the flames swept through forests and tourist areas during the height of the summer holiday season.
Authorities warned that the Landes fire was not extinguished.
The remaining hot spots, wind and drought could cause the fire to flare up, and patrolling and dousing operations were expected to continue for days or possibly weeks.
Profits on both fire fronts faced an immediate test Tuesday as temperatures began to rise again.
The French weather service placed the Gironde under a yellow heat warning from midday, predicting average temperatures of 33 to 35 C. Southeasterly winds are expected across the department, with westerly sea breezes along the coast.
More than 116,000 hectares have burned across France so far this year, according to the Interior Ministry.
Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record, with extreme heat and widespread dryness helping fires spread and intensify in France and Spain, the European Union’s weather service Copernicus said.
As wildfires dominate the headlines in many parts of the world, many may wonder if this is the new normal. CBC’s Dan Burritt spoke with author John Vaillant — author of the award-winning book, Fire Weather — about this year’s wildfires around the world.
Hundreds of firefighters supported by the military’s emergency services and water-dropping aircraft continue to battle several major wildfires in Spain, including the largest ever recorded in the prone to fire country.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Tuesday that the non-stop work through the night had left him “very good,” but warned that conditions could worsen as temperatures rise again.
Spain’s weather service said the country entered its fourth summer heatwave on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to exceed 40C in some areas.
Authorities evacuated about 79,000 people and ordered another 30,000 to stay in their homes during the unprecedented disaster that prompted the government to declare a national emergency for the first time.
Of greater concern remained two large fires that at one point came close to merging into a single blaze burning in wooded hills about an hour’s drive west of Madrid.
Another fire in the eastern province of Castellon also forced many people to evacuate.
A wildfire in the hilly, rural area of Avila, west of Madrid, has become Spain’s largest on record, burning more than 500 square kilometers, the government said. That’s five times the size of Barcelona.
“Look how the village is on fire. Look at the houses, people,” said David Gonzalez, a 48-year-old gardener who used his van to deliver firefighters to Avila.
“We feel angry and helpless. It’s inhumane,” he said.
Fires have burned 1,530 square kilometers this year in Spain – six times the area burned in the first half of 2025, said Sara Aagesen, the environment minister.
The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, has called for a national agreement to fight wildfires made worse by climate change.
