Wildfires Spread Across Southwest Europe, Forcing 140,000 to Flee

2026-07-25

Wildfires have intensified in Spain and France amid hot and dry conditions. According to the BBC, more than 140,000 people have been evacuated in both countries. Spain declared a state of emergency.

Spain declares state of emergency

In Spain, fires broke out in the Madrid region and surrounding areas, and the government declared a state of emergency on the 24th. According to Reuters, this is Spain's first state of emergency since the massive blackout in 2025, and the first to be declared because of fires.

By the afternoon of the 24th, the fires had spread further, with blazes at multiple locations merging. Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Madrid region, said the area was experiencing 'the worst fire in history'.

Damage widens in southwest France

A fire broke out on the 23rd in Gironde in southwest France, and evacuation orders were issued across the Cap Ferret peninsula, which has many tourists. Another fire broke out on the 24th in the nearby Landes department.

According to a tally by French media outlet Franceinfo, the area of forest burned in France from the start of the year through the 22nd reached 45,000 hectares, already exceeding the same period in 2025.

EU aid request and climate change impact

France and Spain have requested the European Union's disaster-response support scheme, the Civil Protection Mechanism. According to French President Emmanuel Macron, disaster-response aircraft will be dispatched from Croatia, Portugal, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The backdrop to the string of wildfires is dryness linked to high temperatures. An international research team of climate scientists from Europe and the United States, World Weather Attribution, analysed precipitation, soil moisture and evaporation in Europe. In Western Europe, heavy rainfall last winter left moisture in the soil, but from April onward, sunny weather and high temperatures persisted, causing moisture to be lost rapidly, it said.

Dominik Schumacher of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich said winter precipitation is increasing across much of Europe, while the tendency toward unusually dry soil before the start of summer is becoming stronger, underscoring the impact of climate change.

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