Macron calls crisis meeting as wildfires force 325,000 to flee in France and Spain

Unprecedented wildfires tearing through southwestern France and central Spain have forced the evacuation of more than 325,000 people, with flames advancing to within 15 kilometers of Bordeaux and a new heat wave expected to worsen conditions this week.

Bordeaux Under Threat

French President Emmanuel Macron called a crisis meeting Monday to coordinate the response to wildfires that have forced more than 250,000 people from their homes across France. The largest blaze, burning in the Gironde region since last Wednesday, has scorched approximately 42,000 hectares — about 103,000 acres — and generated a rare pyrocumulonimbus fire cloud capable of producing its own thunderstorms and erratic winds.nytimes+2

"The fire is about 15 kilometres away from the entry points to the main city," Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said on Sunday. France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said more than 242,000 acres have burned across the country this year, a historic record. The military deployed cargo planes to drop flame retardants, and the final stage of the Tour de France was truncated to free up security personnel.npr+3

Spain's National Emergency

Spain declared a national emergency on July 23 after multiple wildfires merged near Madrid. Fires concentrated in the Ávila and Toledo areas west of the capital have burned around 190,000 acres, with approximately 75,000 people evacuated and 30,000 more ordered to shelter in place. At least one person died in Manises, near Valencia.npr+4

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government is working to provide shelter for those displaced and called for policies grounded in climate science to address the growing scale and intensity of fires. Under the EU's civil protection mechanism, Greece and Italy have sent firefighting aircraft while Portugal deployed more than 100 military personnel.reuters+2

Rising Temperatures Threaten Containment

Conditions are expected to deteriorate. Temperatures in fire-affected areas are forecast to climb into the upper 30s Celsius by midweek, with areas around Madrid potentially reaching 100°F on Tuesday and Wednesday. Light weekend precipitation totaling less than 20 millimeters failed to reach the most active fire zones, and no rainfall is expected for several days.cnn

Combined, more than 300,000 people across both countries have been displaced — one of the largest wildfire evacuations in European history. Scientists warn the crisis reflects a broader pattern: land burned by wildfires across Europe increased 57 percent in four years, reaching 2.2 million hectares in 2025, according to the World Health Organization.news.un+2