More than 20,000 people have been evacuated as wildfires spread through southwest France and a new heatwave brings 40C+ temperatures back to the continent.Thousands of tourists were told to leave holiday camps near Bordeaux, officials said, as some 700 firefighters were called out to tackle the blaze near the popular coastal town of Lege Cap-Ferret.“Overnight, the fire spread more quickly than we had imagined,” acknowledged Philippe de Gonneville, the mayor of Lège-Cap Ferret. Authorities said 12,000 have already been evacuated, while around 8,800 are being moved.In neighbouring Spain, authorities were still working to put out fires which have raged for several days, while in Italy, a 59-year-old firefighter died after falling ill while battling a large wildfire near San Cataldo in Sicily.Across central Spain, firefighters, emergency personnel and military units remained deployed as authorities monitored multiple active fires, including blazes in Guadalajara, Toledo, Ciudad Real and Albacete. More than 100,000 hectares have burned nationwide so far this year.Spain’s meteorological agency warned of “extraordinary danger” with temperatures of up to 44C on Thursday in some regions. Popular Spanish tourist spots, including the areas around Malaga, Valencia and Alicante, could see temperatures reach as high as 42C.Alex Croft23 July 2026 14:31Spanish PM visits Guadalajara region after wildfiresVisiting the Guadalajra region on Wednesday following a devastating wildfire, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain had already suffered 22 major wildfires this year."We have already reached 100,000 hectares before reaching the most critical period of the year in the fight against wildfires," he said. "To put that into perspective, that is the annual average that Spain experienced over the past decade," he said, adding that more must be done to prevent fires.Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures while addressing MPs in the lower house of parliament at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid on June 24, 2026 (AFP/Getty)Alex Croft23 July 2026 14:02What do we know about Spain's worst wildfire this year?In the Guadalajara region, Spain's worst wildfire this year has burned an estimated 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres).It started to stabilise on Tuesday after forcing evacuations in 34 municipalities and confinement orders in 14 others.Castilla-La Mancha's INFOCAM fire service said residents of five villages had been authorised to return, although other restrictions remained in place.Spain's weather agency AEMET said the danger of wildfires remained "very high or extreme" across most of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands and was expected to increase further in the coming days.It urged people to "exercise extreme caution" as the ongoing heatwave combined with dry thunderstorms and Saharan dust.Smoke rises from the wildfire of La Mierla in Condemios de Arriba, Guadalajara (Reuters)Alex Croft23 July 2026 13:30Bulletin | Severe heatwave grips Europe with Spain facing 44C temperaturesEurope is currently experiencing a severe heatwave, with Spain facing "extraordinary danger" as temperatures are forecast to reach up to 44C, close to its all-time record of 47.6C.Here’s everything you need to know in five bullet points:Alex Croft23 July 2026 13:01Greece, North Macedonia and Kosovo all impacted by southern heatwaveSpain, France and Italy have suffered much of the brunt of this week’s heatwave, but it has also been felt further east. In Greece, with temperatures forecast to top 41 C (106 F), authorities have banned outdoor work at peak midday sun. In Cyprus, which is also used to high summer temperatures, working outdoors was banned during afternoon hours on Wednesday.In Skopje, capital of North Macedonia, 11 people were admitted to hospital, three of them with serious injuries, after a storm on Tuesday night felled trees, damaged roofs and caused power outages across the Balkan country, local media reported.Roads were blocked and some towns left without electricity and water.In Kosovo, the Hydrometeorological Institute said more storms were expected on Wednesday and warned of possible lightning strikes, damage to the electricity network, power outages, flooding and property damage.Local media showed roofs being blown away, torrential rain and residents covering their cars with blankets on Tuesday to protect them from hail.Alex Croft23 July 2026 12:30Alex Croft23 July 2026 11:58More than 10,000 evacuated in southwestern France as wildfires scorch land near BordeauxMore than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight in southwestern France as a rapidly spreading wildfire scorched through 2,000 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux, officials said on Thursday.Wildfires have burnt more land in Europe already this year than the annual average in the past two decades, data shows, as the world's fastest-warming continent has endured three stifling, virtually back-to-back heatwaves so far this year.Five hundred firefighters are battling to control the blaze, the prefecture said, adding that the wildfire was very rough, but that no one has been injured so far.The wildfire is located near the Arcachon Bay area, a tourist hotspot, and many of those evacuated are tourists staying in camping sites.Locals drive an old fire truck at the site where a wildfire broke out on July 21 (AFP/Getty)Alex Croft23 July 2026 11:33In pictures: Spain suffers one of its largest wildfires in yearsWildfire advances near Condemios de Arriba, Guadalajara province, Spain, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, after a wildfire scorched tens of thousands of hectares (AP)Smoke rises above the horizon as wildfire advances near Condemios de Arriba (AP)Alex Croft23 July 2026 11:05'It felt like hell was approaching': Spanish residents recall wildfiresThe residents of a small village near the major Guadalajara wildfire have recalled the moment they were evacuated as a fire tore through the area. It felt like “hell was approaching”, the mayor of the Naharros hamlet, Ricardo Antón, told El Pais. “You see the whole mountain above burning and you hear it right above you. The fire was so fierce it jumped [across] the valley.”Antonia Molinero, 80, recalled the moment the Civil Guard knocked on her door to evacuate her on Sunday night.“You don’t have time to react. You think, if I have to leave, then I have to leave,” she said. Antonio Mier, 20, added: "It's quite shocking to see everything green your whole life and then suddenly see it so black.”Alex Croft23 July 2026 10:42Vast majority of Spain at 'extreme' risk of wildfireThe vast majority of Spain is at ‘extreme’ risk of a wildfire, according to Spanish forecaster AEMET. On Thursday, the warnings cover large parts of the countries eastern half, with the rest of the country at ‘very high’ or ‘moderate’ risk. Going into Friday, the vast majority of the country, carrying the northwestern and southwestern corners, along with parts of the eastern coast, are at ‘extreme’ risk, the forecaster said. The vast majority of Spain is at 'extreme' risk of a wildfire on Friday (AEMET)Alex Croft23 July 2026 10:21