Europe wildfires latest: Bordeaux suburbs evacuated as France sends in army while winds in Spain could worsen blaze

Wildfires trigger mass evacuations across France and SpainOver 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes as massive wildfires continue to rage across southwestern France and central Spain. On Saturday officials ordered the evacuation of large parts of Bordeaux’s suburbs, including the areas of Le Haillan, Eysines ​and Merignac. Bordeaux is the largest city in the southwestern region and France’s sixth-largest city overall.“The fires ‌which are hitting our country have reached a level that has never ​been seen before,” French ‌prime minister Sebastien Lecornu wrote on X on Saturday. The French army has also been drafted in to help with the crisis as the blaze showed no signs of slowing down. Spanish and French officials warned that winds were likely to exacerbate the fires. Madrid's regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso said that it marked the “worst fire in the history of the region” and that conditions had been made worse by a combination of high temperatures, wind and the merging of blazes. The city’s emergency management chief Carlos Novillo told reporters earlier Friday that the fire was “at its peak and... currently beyond the capacity of firefighters to contain”. Watch: Homes go up in flames as wildfires tear through SpainHomes go up in flames as wildfires tear through SpainMaira Butt25 July 2026 10:00Raining ash and a tower of black smoke: Families flee ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires on the road out of Lège-Cap FerretShe was left speechless as cinders blew across her car windscreen like “raining ash”, with bright-red flames erupting and a towering pillar of black smoke billowing 20km in the distance. The scene was “frightening and spectacular”, she says.“I still stink of smoke,” the 53-year-old marketing business owner tells The Independent from her friend’s home in Bordeaux. “My car stinks of smoke. I don’t think I will ever get the smell out.”Marion, like her neighbours, was awoken at around 4am on Friday morning by an emergency alert on her phone that instructed every citizen in the town to evacuate immediately.Maira Butt25 July 2026 09:53Watch: Horses run from thick smoke as wildfires spread in southern FranceHorses run from thick smoke as wildfires spread in southern FranceMaira Butt25 July 2026 09:40UK travel advice for those affected by fires in SpainThe government website provides the following advice for those affected by wildfires in Madrid and Avila in Spain:“Spanish authorities have declared a national emergency because of wildfires in parts of Madrid and Ávila. There are also reports of wildfires in other inland areas of Spain.“If you are in an area affected by a wildfire:follow instructions from local authorities and emergency services at all times avoid travelling to or through affected areas check updates from the emergency services call 112 if you need emergency help.”Maira Butt25 July 2026 09:35In pictures: Thousands forced to evacuate their homesA traffic jam of vehicles evacuating Saint-Aubain-de-Medoc as a wildfire burns nearby amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 25, 2026. (Reuters)French police officers on motorcycles give directions to drivers stuck in traffic during the evacuation after wildfires in the area forced thousands of tourists to evacuate on July 24, 2026 in Arcachon, France. (Getty)A traffic jam of vehicles evacuating Saint-Aubain-de-Medoc as a wildfire burns nearby amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 25, 2026. (Reuters)Maira Butt25 July 2026 09:301.5 million masks to be delivered to GirondePrime minister Sebastien Lecornu said that over 1.5 million masks would be delivered to Gironde in France on Friday. In a post on X, he wrote: “1.5 million FFP2 masks will be delivered to Gironde tonight to protect personnel on the ground and populations exposed to harmful smoke.”A man rests at the Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre, which has been turned into a shelter for people displaced by a wildfire burning nearby amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, in Bordeaux, France, July 25, 2026. (Reuters)Maira Butt25 July 2026 09:20Winds will worsen fires, say French and Spanish officialsSpanish and French officials have warned that strong winds on Saturday are likely to exacerbate the fires. Government official Francisco Martin, told reporters that emergency efforts on Saturday would be “difficult” as "the wind is expected to rise in the morning, with rather erratic gusts" in comments on Friday. Landes prefect Gilles Clavreul said the fire would not be extinguished by the end of Friday due to winds reaching 50km/h (31mph) and high temperatures of 36-37C.Maira Butt25 July 2026 09:12French army deployed to assist with crisisFrench president Emmanuel Macron has ordered the country’s army to help with the wildfires raging across the country after barely recovering from a record-breaking heatwave. At least 500 military personnel were deployed on the ground on Friday, with hundreds more expected to join on Saturday to bring the total to more than 1,000.This aerial photograph shows smoke emanating from the wildfire north of the Arcachon basin (seen Top) covering the forest, with a view of a beach and the Atlantic Ocean (bottom) near Lege-Cap-Ferret, southwestern France, on July 24, 2026. (AFP/Getty)Maira Butt25 July 2026 09:06Mapped: What areas are affected by the wildfires?Wildfires across swathes of Spain, France and Italy (Google Maps)Maira Butt25 July 2026 08:59In pictures: Wildfires spread across France and Spain amid high temperatures and windsFiirefighters spray water in a burning forest in the Lège-Cap-Ferret region (AP)Members of the Kiat Yack Martial Arts Academy of Spanish, Moroccan, Colombian and Romanian origin move to help extinguish flames around the academy in the village of El Tiemblo, during wildfires affecting Castilla y Leon province, Spain, July 24, 2026. (Reuters)A firefighter waters burning tires and barrels while battling a wildfire in Cebreros area, near Avila, 80 kms west of Madrid on July 24, 2026. The worst wildfires in the Madrid region's history rage west of the Spanish capital, forcing authorities to evacuate or order around 40,000 people to remain indoors. (AFP/Getty)Maira Butt25 July 2026 08:46