Fires just 15km from Bordeaux as officials consider ‘total evacuation of city if necessary’Bordeaux Airport's hotel zone has been evacuated until further notice as raging wildfires threaten the city, although the airport itself remains operational.In a statement overnight, the airport said while flights are still operational, no accommodation can be provided at the airport itself, which closes overnight. It advised travellers to look outside the evacuated areas or at the Parc des Expositions.Raging wildfires are now just 15km (9 miles) from Bordeaux, the city’s mayor Thomas Cazenave said on Sunday.Bordeaux City Council is considering a total evacuation of the city, a spokesperson told Sky News, as it is "currently studying scenarios for all possible ways the fire could evolve.”It is the sixth largest city in France when including both the city proper and surrounding metropolitan area, and is home to over 1.2 million people.Nearby areas have all been evacuated as the fire advanced amid high winds.French interior minister said the situation remained "very unfavourable" and the fire was "moving erratically" towards the city.Pope calls for prayers for victims of the ‘devastating wildfires’At the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV referenced “the devastating wildfires” in France and Spain and expressed his solidarity.“I express my solidarity and invite everyone to pray for those affected and for the work of the rescue workers.”An estimated 42,000 hectares (162 square miles) had burned in Gironde, the region's prefecture said, much of it forests and scrubland made tinder-dry by successive heat waves. That is seven times the area of Manhattan island and four times the size of Paris.Stuti Mishra27 July 2026 06:48Bordeaux Airport evacuates hotel zone over wildfireBordeaux Airport's hotel zone has been evacuated until further notice as raging wildfires threaten the city, although the airport itself remains operational.In a statement overnight, the airport said that the decision to close all hotels in its immediate vicinity was made in accordance with the Gironde prefecture.While flights are still operational, the airport said no accommodation can be provided at the airport itself, which closes overnight. It advised travellers to look outside the evacuated areas or at the Parc des Expositions.Stuti Mishra27 July 2026 06:10Mapped: The areas in France and Spain affected by raging wildfiresOver 300,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes as wildfires continue to rage across Spain and France.At least one man has been killed in Spain and dozens others have been injured including at least 68 firefighters in France.Government officials from both countries have commented on the historic nature of the blaze, with Madrid’s regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso describing it as “the worst fire in the history of the region”.Stuti Mishra27 July 2026 05:50UK braced for more wildfires as fourth heatwave loomsEmergency services are braced for further wildfires as the UK’s fourth heatwave looms.A National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) spokesperson said: “With the Met Office warning that a fourth heatwave could develop this week, bringing another period of very hot weather to parts of the UK, fire and rescue services remain on alert and are continuing to prepare for renewed wildfire risk.”Battling nearly 20 wildfires at once demonstrates “the scale of the challenge posed by the prolonged hot, dry conditions”, they added.“Most wildfires are preventable and we are asking everyone to play their part in helping to protect our communities, wildlife and natural spaces, while easing the pressure on firefighters who have already faced an exceptionally challenging summer.”Temperatures cooled, winds picked up and a smattering of rain fell for many during the weekend.But parts of southern England will yet again meet their heatwave criteria on Wednesday, which could reach highs of 32C or 33C, and more will on ThursdayStuti Mishra27 July 2026 05:20Macron calls crisis meetingFrench president Emmanuel Macron will a hold a crisis cabinet meeting today as wildfires threaten the south-western city of Bordeaux.He said on Saturday that France would "rebuild" and his government would "be there for as long as is needed".Tens of thousands of people have already been evacuated from Bordeaux's surrounding region, with France's interior minister Laurent Nuñez saying the situation remained "very unfavourable" and the fire was "moving erratically" towards the city.Stuti Mishra27 July 2026 04:56Fire 'moving in the direction of the city area,' says French interior minister Wildfires advanced towards the outskirts of the historic French city of Bordeaux, at the heart of the country's winelands, yesterday as France and Spain battled blazes that have already forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.About 220,000 people have been evacuated in France, while in Spain more than 75,000 people have been evacuated and a further 30,000 ordered to shelter in place, authorities said.In France, fires have ravaged the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast, a popular tourist destination, and spread through areas surrounding Bordeaux, where firefighters were trying to prevent the flames from reaching the regional capital.Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the fire was about 15 km (9 miles) away from the entry points to the main city."We have a fire that is not under control and which is moving in the direction of the city area," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France 2 ⁠TV yesterday. "The overall situation is very unfavourable, we are in a situation that is unprecedented."Stuti Mishra27 July 2026 04:23Rebecca Whittaker27 July 2026 03:00Pictured: Wildfires destroy over 100 homes in southwest FranceA drone view shows a burnt building in an area affected by wildfire, in Le Porge, Gironde, amongst worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France (Reuters)A gendarme covers a small hot spot with soil to prevent any risk of reignition during a patrol, as wildfires rage across the Gironde region amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of the country, in Le Porge, France (Reuters)People watch a wildfire from atop a vehicle, amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of the country, in Marcheprime, France (Reuters)An agricultural worker drives a tractor while wetting roadside vegetation as a preventive measure to help stop wildfires from spreading, as wildfires rage across the Gironde region amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, near Sainte-Helene, France (Reuters)Rebecca Whittaker27 July 2026 02:00‘I smell like I’ve been in a barbecue’: Bordeaux resident explains what life in city is like as wildfire edges closer“The smell is horrible, you can’t breathe,” says Ira Szmuk, a resident living in the centre of the city of Bordeaux as raging wildfires creep closer by the hour.“In the afternoon and evening, the winds bring all the smoke into town so we can’t go out. We do everything we need to do in the morning and then we lock ourselves in the house.”Read more here:Rebecca Whittaker27 July 2026 01:00Arsonists spread Italian wildfires by tying flammable rags to cats’ tailsArsonists tied flammable rags to cats’ tails and set them alight to ignite wildfires in Italy.Deadly wildfires have continued to sweep across Europe, with extreme weather warnings and record temperatures devastating the continent.However, not all of the blazes are believed to have been natural, with authorities investigating the “inhumane” method used at Pollino national park in Calabria, southern Italy.Stray cats, who were released in the field to spread the blaze, were found amongst the smouldering remains.“This is the work of a mind that is not merely malicious, but truly criminal,” said Domenico Costarella, of Calabria’s civil protection agency.The Italian Association for the Defence of Animals and the Environment has called for a criminal investigation and offered a €1,000 reward for information that could help identify those who set the cats alight.Watch here:Rebecca Whittaker27 July 2026 00:00