Spain and France Race to Contain Fires as Next Heat Wave Builds

Firefighters in Spain and France are racing to contain wildfires threatening Madrid and Bordeaux, as Europe’s fourth heat wave of the summer hinders efforts to bring the blazes under control.

Spanish local authorities said overnight efforts contained the advance of the fires’ active fronts, with the focus on Tuesday switching to cooling affected areas before temperatures soar. Firefighters prevented the flames from reaching Valdemaqueda, a municipality west of the capital whose residents were evacuated on Monday.

“The situation with the fires is improving little by little,” Madrid region president Isabel Díaz Ayuso said in a post on X.

Spain and France have been at the epicenter of Europe’s wildfire season, which came early this year and accelerated in recent weeks as successive heat waves baked vegetation, making easier for flames to spread rapidly. Temperatures in parts of Spain and southwest France could climb as high as 41C (106F) on Wednesday, further straining the emergency services.

“Europe has had very little time to recover from one heat wave before the next arrives,” said Jason Nicholls, AccuWeather’s lead international forecaster. “Each successive round of extreme heat compounds the impacts. Dry soil, ongoing drought and stressed vegetation increase wildfire risk, while the prolonged heat continues to strain water supplies, agriculture and public health across the region.”

In France, several wildfires continue to burn on Tuesday, from the Gironde department in the southwest to the hills above the Mediterranean and the island of Corsica. In Gironde, the blaze has not yet been fully contained, with hundreds of firefighters still battling the flames, according to local authorities.

As many as 47 Spanish highways were cut, with some 63,000 people evacuated from their homes in recent days and some 30,000 ordered to shelter in place, bringing the total number of affected to more than 90,000. Another major Spanish fire is burning in La Vall d’Uixó, about 50 kilometers north of the coastal city of Valencia.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the country’s cabinet will declare the affected areas as “emergency zones” on Tuesday, opening the door to financial aid. On Monday, Madrid region president Isabel Díaz Ayuso announced support measures for those affected by the fires, including legal assistance with insurance claims, financial support for rental housing and home repairs, as well as loan guarantees.

Businesses, private homes and farmers have all been impacted, with the question of rebuilding already looming.

Pantano de San Juan, one of the Madrid region’s main tourist attractions, has been left devastated by the fires. An area that was once bustling with restaurants, recreational boating, and campers has been almost completely destroyed.

Top photo: Smoke from wildfires in Villamanta, southwest of Madrid, on July 24. Photographer: Emilio P. Doiztua/Bloomberg.