Background: Spain declared a national wildfire emergency on 24 July 2026 as blazes near Madrid and Ávila forced over 10,000 evacuations. Two major fires merged into a single blaze burning 30 square kilometers, forcing 60,000 people to evacuate or shelter in place. By July 26, the crisis deepened dramatically, with the Gironde fire in France expanding to 42,000 hectares and over 250,000 evacuated in France, while Spain's total evacuees rose to 116,000. On 29 July, three Greek firefighters died battling wildfires in Crete and the Peloponnese, with two killed in the Rethymno region of Crete and one near Gytheio. The Greek Coast Guard conducted sea rescues of people trapped by fires on Crete, where a fire front extended up to 15 km. In Spain, the Ávila fire became the largest recorded in Spanish history, burning over 43,000 hectares, and a fourth heatwave began in Spain and France. Spain lifted evacuation orders for 15 municipalities, allowing 24,000 people to return home and releasing 20,000 from confinement in the Madrid region. In France, the Gironde fire remained stable but flare-ups occurred, with 65 departments on high fire risk. The EU deployed additional firefighting aircraft and helicopters to both countries, and the EU Crisis Management Commissioner called for more investment in forest management and prevention. The UN climate chief warned that climate-driven disasters are reaching national emergency levels. Development: On July 27, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Gironde region, calling the situation 'the most difficult since World War II' and vowing to 'rebuild a different kind of forest'. The fire has burned 42,000 hectares, destroyed 240 homes, and injured 88 firefighters, with four more injured overnight. A volunteer firefighter from Bouches-du-Rhône was killed in a traffic accident, bringing firefighter deaths to four in two weeks. The Gironde prefecture banned all sports and cultural events and boating on the Cazaux-Sanguinet lake. The EU deployed seven planes and four helicopters from Czechia, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Turkey to France, and six planes from Greece, Italy, and Turkey to Spain. EU Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib warned of 'extreme conditions' looming for Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Portugal. The French Gendarmerie deployed ten Centaure armored vehicles. The Landes fire was declared under control, allowing 15,000 evacuees to return home. The government estimated rebuilding and reforestation costs at 5,000 to 10,000 euros per hectare. French Minister of Ecological Transition Monique Barbut called the damage to wildlife 'catastrophic'. In Spain, the Ávila fire was described as a 'monster' with a 280-kilometer perimeter covering 77,000 hectares, forcing 75,000 evacuations. A new fire in Castellón forced 16,000 more evacuations. Spain's Interior Ministry banned agricultural machinery use in Madrid, Ávila, and Toledo. The fire near Valencia killed one civilian, and two firefighters died near Bordeaux. A new heatwave with temperatures up to 40-42°C is forecast, with Météo-France reporting unprecedented low soil moisture levels. The pyrocumulonimbus phenomenon was confirmed as unprecedented in France. 162 arson-related arrests have been made in France since July 6. Latest: The Gironde fire in France has been contained, with nearly 200,000 evacuees allowed to return home. The fire prompted the largest evacuations in France since World War II, with 264 firefighters injured and four killed. EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib visited Bordeaux and defended the EU's proposed €10.7 billion budget for disaster preparedness, stating 'climate change is here.' She dismissed climate deniers, calling the fires 'the biggest wake-up call.' Wildfires continue in Greece and Spain, and the EU has deployed firefighting assets from multiple countries. The EU's crisis preparedness plan includes investments in early warning tools and evacuation planning. Greenpeace criticized the EU for backtracking on green promises, while Lahbib emphasized solidarity over controversy.

French firefighters in the Gironde region are battling unprecedented wildfires that have generated pyrocumulonimbus clouds, or 'fire clouds', for the first time in France. These fire-generated thunderstorms create their own winds and lightning, spreading embers unpredictably and sparking new blazes, complicating containment efforts. The phenomenon is linked to human-caused climate change, with scientists noting increased likelihood under extreme heat and dry conditions. Tens of thousands have been evacuated, and officials warn the fire could burn for weeks.

Background: The French government, led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and President Emmanuel Macron, has been responding to ongoing wildfires in Gironde, postponing ministerial vacations and holding crisis meetings. Today, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that the massive wildfire in Gironde has stopped growing after forcing 220,000 people to evacuate, but cautioned it is not yet fully contained. President Macron held a crisis meeting on Monday to coordinate firefighting efforts, focusing on the Gironde region and other wildfires.

As the massive wildfire in France's Gironde and Landes regions stabilizes after burning 42,000 hectares, French government ministers are publicly defending their crisis management against mounting criticism from firefighters and victims. Ministers Aurore Bergé and Mathieu Lefèvre rejected claims of insufficient resources, citing increased budgets for civil security and aerial firefighting assets, while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez highlighted a budget rise from 450 million euros in 2017 to 800 million euros planned for 2026. The defense comes amid anger from residents like those in Le Porge who say they were abandoned, and as firefighters report a lack of both human and material means to combat the unprecedented megafire.

As wildfires continue to rage in Gironde, southwestern France, the French government has postponed summer vacations for ministers and canceled a planned spouses' lunch to project full mobilization. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu remains at Matignon to lead crisis meetings, while President Emmanuel Macron chairs an interministerial crisis cell and visits the affected area. The government faces criticism over unfulfilled Canadair orders and budget concerns, with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez defending the security budget. The situation highlights the political stakes as Macron's term nears its end.

As wildfires continue to rage in the Gironde region of southwestern France, Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave stated that authorities have no current plans to evacuate the UNESCO-listed city but are 'ready for anything.' The fires, which started accidentally near Saumos, have burned 42,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of 220,000 people, with the blaze located 25-30 kilometers from Bordeaux. The unpredictable nature of the fire is complicating firefighting efforts, and some residents in nearby villages have refused to evacuate.

As wildfires ravage southwestern France, burning over 40,000 hectares and forcing more than 220,000 evacuations, Socialist MP Philippe Brun has sharply criticized the government's response, calling it a 'strange defeat' and a foreseeable crisis that was ignored. In an interview, Brun highlighted chronic underfunding of firefighting services, citing annual parliamentary reports and a government-commissioned review that acknowledged the system's inadequacy. He called for urgent parliamentary action, increased investment, and a new financing mechanism for fire services, including a tax on insurance companies. The criticism comes as President Macron convenes an interministerial crisis cell and a cabinet meeting focused on the fires.

A man attacked three women with knives near Porte de Clichy in Paris on Monday, severely wounding two, before bystanders subdued him and an off-duty police officer detained him. The suspect's motive is unclear; his statements were incoherent, and the French anti-terrorist prosecutor's office is considering an investigation.