Evacuations across the border
Wildfires sweeping through parts of France and Spain have forced about 330,000 people from their homes. The evacuations are among the largest in southern Europe in years.
In southwestern France, flames have spread through forests and farmland, and authorities have ordered more people to leave as conditions worsen. In Spain, fire crews are battling blazes on multiple fronts, with strong winds pushing the fire toward towns. In some areas, residents had only minutes to pack before the flames arrived. Local officials used phone alerts, loudspeakers, and door-to-door teams to reach people, and buses were sent to nursing homes and hospitals to move the most vulnerable.
A heat wave returns
The fires come as another heat wave settles over the region. Temperatures have climbed well above seasonal averages, drying out vegetation and turning the landscape into fuel. Forecasters say the heat will last for several more days, giving firefighters little relief.
Emergency services in both countries are stretched thin. France has called in extra water-bombing aircraft, and Spain has asked the military to help with evacuations. Shelters have been opened in schools and sports halls for people who fled with little more than the clothes they were wearing. Authorities have banned open fires in large parts of both countries, and some regions have closed forests to visitors. Farmers are also watching the heat with worry, as crops and livestock are under stress.
The climate connection
Scientists say hotter summers are making wildfires more frequent and more destructive across the Mediterranean. A warmer atmosphere dries out plants faster, and heat waves are arriving earlier and lasting longer.
European officials are now discussing what else can be done. They point to better forest management, more firebreaks, and earlier evacuation plans as ways to reduce the damage. But they also warn that as long as temperatures keep rising, the region will keep facing summers like this one. Last year's fires in the region destroyed thousands of hectares and killed dozens of people, and this summer is following a similar pattern. Scientists say every additional degree of warming adds fuel to the risk, and they expect the fire season to stretch deeper into autumn.