Bordeaux (AFP) – Fire crews in France and Spain battling unchecked wildfires that have forced more than 300,000 people to flee were overwhelmed on Sunday as the unpredictable blazes advanced.
Issued on: 26/07/2026 - 11:54Modified: 26/07/2026 - 12:21
4 min Reading time
France's southwestern city of Bordeaux, at the heart of a region of vineyards, was under threat, with a major highway and train lines cut. In Spain more villages in the fire zone raging west of Madrid were emptied during the night -- and a new front opened near the coastal city of Valencia.France was faced with "a historic situation", Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said late Saturday. The fire in the southwest and resulting evacuation operation now rank among the biggest seen since World War II, authorities said, with more than 250,000 people ordered out of the danger zone.Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on Sunday wrote on X that "the situation remains very unfavourable" for fires across France.
Fire crew have been fighting the flames for days, leaving them at the point of exhaustion © ALAIN JOCARD / AFP
