More than 200,000 people fled their homes or were ordered to shelter in place as massive wildfires swept across Spain and France on Friday. Spain declared a national state of emergency, while French authorities ordered the full evacuation of one of the country’s most renowned tourist destinations.
The incident was reported by The Guardian on Friday, July 24, 2026.
According to The Guardian, French authorities ordered a village-by-village evacuation of the Cap Ferret Peninsula on the Atlantic coast after an “intense and highly unpredictable” wildfire burned more than 19,000 hectares of forest.
More than 110,000 people have been evacuated over the past two days to escape the Cap Ferret wildfire, including thousands of tourists staying at campsites and vacation rentals.
Boats transported hundreds of people from the peninsula’s docks on Friday as the flames threatened the area’s only access road.
Around 800 firefighters and four water-bombing aircraft were battling the blaze in Gironde, north of Arcachon Bay, but the fire, which began on Wednesday near the village of Saumos, remained out of control.
Eighty homes were reported destroyed by the fire.
Jean Mazodier, 86, who owns 150 hectares of forest and was evacuated from his home at 6 a.m., expressed his sorrow to Le Monde.
“I’ve seen many fires before, but never one with this level of intensity. Everything is burning. It’s like losing a child,” he said, as quoted in the report.
A second wildfire farther south near the popular holiday resort of Biscarrosse has also burned more than 2,500 hectares, prompting the evacuation of approximately 31,000 people.
Landes Prefect Gilles Clavreul described the situation as “highly dynamic and unfavorable,” with numerous new fire hotspots continuing to emerge.
French President Emmanuel Macron activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism to bring in international assistance.
Two firefighting aircraft from Croatia, two from Portugal, and two heavy-lift helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia are expected to join the firefighting efforts.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that 32 wildfires were currently burning across the country, with 50,000 hectares already destroyed by fire in 2026—nearly four times the total recorded by the same date last year.
Spain declared a national state of emergency on Thursday night after wildfires threatened areas near the capital and the neighboring province of Ávila, forcing more than 63,000 people to evacuate.
The national emergency declaration, which allows the central government to assume control from regional authorities, has only been issued once before, during the nationwide power outage in April 2025.
Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso described the wildfire crisis as “an unprecedented situation: a perfect storm caused by extremely high temperatures and relentless winds.”
Two major wildfires outside Madrid have merged into a single blaze, while a third fire is close to joining them.
Madrid Environment Minister Carlos Novillo said the fires had reached a “critical moment” and had “exceeded firefighting capabilities.”
One person was arrested in connection with a wildfire in Burgohondo, Ávila, after allegedly ignoring a ban on the use of heavy machinery, which is believed to have produced the spark that ignited the blaze.
Scientists say that climate change is driving more frequent and more severe extreme weather, drying out soil and waterways and increasing the risk of wildfires.
Europe is warming at approximately twice the global average rate.***
