World

Wildfires in southwestern France and Spain: over 250,000 evacuated

Herz — World Desk · 25 July 2026 at 17:00 · 30s summary · 3 min read

The essentials

Forest fires have ravaged southwestern France and Spain since July 23, 2026. By July 25, over 250,000 people had been evacuated in total: 197,000 in France, including tens of thousands from Bordeaux, and more in Spain. Cap Ferret was fully evacuated on July 24, affecting over 40,000 people. Spain declared a national state of emergency on July 25—a first in its history. No deaths have been reported, but dozens of French firefighters have been injured.

Over 250,000 people evacuated across France and Spain by July 25, 2026.
Spain declares a national state of emergency for the first time in its history.
Cap Ferret fully evacuated on July 24: over 40,000 people affected.
197,000 evacuations in France, including tens of thousands from Bordeaux.
No deaths reported; dozens of French firefighters injured.

Since July 23, 2026, forest fires of exceptional scale have ravaged southwestern France and Spain. By July 25, over 250,000 people had been evacuated across both countries, with 197,000 in France.

What we know

It all began on Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Biscarrosse (Landes): a fire sparked by a vehicle burned through approximately 1,200 hectares of forest in a matter of hours, reaching the edges of the city, according to France 24.

Over 5,000 people, many in campgrounds, were evacuated. Around 250 firefighters responded, supported by one Dash (a turboprop-powered aircraft from the DHC-8 family) and two Canadair water bombers (water-bombing aircraft from the Canadian aerospace company of the same name), with additional reinforcements expected.

On the same day, a fire tornado formed near Saumos (Gironde), hurling burning debris across large distances.

During the night of July 23-24, flames breached the firebreak established by firefighters in Gironde. The burned area then exceeded 10,000 hectares.

On July 24, authorities ordered the complete evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula (Gironde). More than 40,000 people left the area.

In France, 197,000 people had been evacuated by July 25, including tens of thousands from Bordeaux and its western suburbs.

Authority response

France activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (established in 2001), a system enabling EU member states and ten partner countries to coordinate aid in response to major disasters. Three additional water-bombing aircraft were deployed through this mechanism.

On July 25, at the request of the Prime Minister, an Airbus A400M Atlas—a versatile military transport aircraft designed by Airbus Defence and Space and entered service in 2013—was deployed to strengthen aerial firefighting efforts in Gironde.

President Emmanuel Macron described the situation as "very intense."

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez characterized the evacuations as "probably" the largest ever conducted in France during peacetime.

Spain declared a national state of emergency on July 25, 2026—an unprecedented move in the country's history.