NewsWPLG Local 10July 29, 2026United States
Major Wildfires Threaten Southern Europe as Heatwaves Persist
Severe wildfires across France, Spain, and Greece have forced hundreds of thousands of evacuations and resulted in the deaths of three firefighters in Greece. Extreme heat, drought, and high winds are fueling the blazes, with authorities warning that the danger remains high despite some progress in containment.
Read the full story at WPLG Local 10Why It Matters
The ongoing wildfire crisis has displaced over 330,000 people across France and Spain and caused significant disruption to regional tourism, infrastructure, and public safety.
Key Facts
- Three firefighters died in Greece while battling wildfires in the Rethymno and Peloponnese regions.
- At the peak of the crisis, approximately 330,000 people were evacuated from homes and vacation sites across France and Spain.
- The Gironde fire in France forced 220,000 people to flee at the height of the emergency.
- Investigators believe the Gironde fire was ignited by a brush-cutting machine used by contractors near a high-voltage line.
- More than 1,160 square kilometers (448 square miles) have burned across France so far this year.
- Over 2,200 firefighters and 20 aircraft are currently mobilized in France.
- Gironde authorities recently ordered an additional 4,000 people to evacuate from coastal tourist sites.
- 60,000 evacuees were authorized to return to three Bordeaux suburbs.
- In Spain, evacuation orders were lifted for 20,000 people in Madrid and stay-at-home restrictions ended for 14,000 others.
- 10,000 people remain under evacuation orders in the Castellón region of Spain.
- Temperatures in the affected regions reached 40 C (104 F) on Wednesday.
- The Gironde fire created a rare pyrocumulonimbus cloud, which generated its own lightning and winds.
Who's Mentioned
organizationEnedis“Power-grid operator”personLaurent Nuñez“Interior Minister of France”organizationCopernicus climate service“EU climate monitoring agency”locationGironde“Region in France experiencing major wildfires”personSophie Brocas“Gironde prefect”personRenaud Gaudeul“Bordeaux prosecutor”organizationMétéo-France“National weather service”personMatthieu Jomain“Gironde fire commander”