Wildfires close in on Bordeaux as 300,000 flee in France and Spain

Wildfires raging across southwestern France and central Spain have forced more than 300,000 people to evacuate or shelter in place, in what French authorities have called the country's largest peacetime evacuation. As of Sunday, flames had advanced to within 15 kilometers of Bordeaux, the historic wine capital, while Spain declared its first-ever national wildfire emergency.

Bordeaux Under Threat

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned Sunday that the wildfire situation "remains very unfavourable," noting that total area burned had reached 42,000 hectares — roughly 104,000 acres — in the Gironde department alone. About 220,000 people have been evacuated from the Gironde and Landes departments, with police going door-to-door overnight in towns like Marcheprime and Cestas. An additional 36,000 were displaced by a separate fire burning further south in Landes, pushing the total in southwest France past 250,000.yahoo+2

Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said Sunday that "the fire is about 15 kilometres away from the entry points to the main city". The Telegraph London Stock Exchange reported that Bordeaux city council was considering a full evacuation of the city's 270,000 residents. The blaze has produced a rare pyrocumulonimbus — a fire-generated storm cloud that creates its own winds — further complicating containment efforts.reuters+3

Spain Declares National Emergency

In Spain, more than 76,000 people have been evacuated and 30,000 others confined to their homes, according to government figures. The U.S. Embassy in Madrid issued an emergency alert citing active fires in the Madrid and Ávila regions. Spain declared its first-ever national wildfire emergency as flames tore through areas west of the capital.usembassy+2

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, visiting the fire-ravaged Ávila area on Sunday, called for a nationwide pact to confront what he termed the "climate emergency." According to TRT World, Sánchez said, "The disaster must lead to a major public pact on the climate emergency," renewing a proposal he first championed in August 2025.trtworld

European Response and Forecast

Under the EU's civil protection mechanism, Greece and Italy have each sent two Canadair firefighting aircraft to Spain, while Portugal deployed more than 100 military personnel. In France, the military has been clearing vegetation and establishing fire breaks as conditions worsen.bbc+1

The crisis, which began with a fast-moving blaze near Le Porge on July 23, has intensified amid record temperatures across western Europe. With another heatwave forecast for the coming days, authorities warned of continued escalation. "Another difficult night on the wildfire front," Nuñez wrote on X early Sunday.rfi+1