A French firefighter taking a breather between extinguishing fires.Image: keystone
Extreme weather
July 29, 2026, 3:32 p.mJuly 29, 2026, 3:32 p.m
In view of a new heat wave accompanied by dryness and winds, the fire brigade in the forest fire areas in France and Spain is fighting hard to prevent the fires from flaring up again. Tens of thousands of evacuees in both countries can now return to their homes.
On the French Atlantic coast, the fire brigade is doing everything it can to prevent the fires from spreading again, given the extreme dryness and wind. The concern of the emergency services is that with expected temperatures of up to 41 degrees and falling humidity, gusts of wind with a speed of up to 45 kilometers will fan the flames again in an uncontrolled manner and drive them into the area, the prefecture in Bordeaux said. Storms are expected from Thursday.
France’s fire brigade is fighting new sources of fire
During the night and in the morning, the emergency services took action against fires that had flared up in the area that had already been affected by the fire. There were new fires in three areas, for example near the militarily sensitive Souge army base near Bordeaux.
The fire flares up again and again.Image: keystone
Around 2,200 firefighters are still fighting the fires, which have affected 42,000 hectares (420 square kilometers, an area the size of the city state of Bremen). As of Monday afternoon, the Paris Ministry of the Interior spoke of 116,085 hectares of land destroyed by the forest fires across France.
According to the prefecture, 126 firefighters have now been injured. Of the 224,000 people originally evacuated in the region, including a number of tourists, many were able to return home on Tuesday evening. The prefecture allowed residents of three places that had been evacuated as a precaution but were spared the fire to return. According to media reports, a total of 57,000 people are involved.
Tens of thousands of evacuees in Spain are returning
Meanwhile, in Spain, tens of thousands are returning to their homes in the wildfire areas around Madrid after almost a week of fear and uncertainty. The authorities lifted evacuations and exit restrictions for 19 towns, the Spanish Interior Ministry announced. However, given the start of the fourth heat wave of the summer, which is expected to last until Sunday and is likely to make fire-fighting work more difficult in the next few days, the authorities continue to warn against a premature all-clear.
After the fire all that remains is devastation.Image: keystone
The emergency services were able to achieve further success in fighting the devastating forest fires in the west of the Madrid region and in the neighboring provinces of Ávila and Toledo. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the flames had stopped spreading on Tuesday.
There are still pockets of embers in fire areas
He hopes that despite the predicted high temperatures, work to extinguish remaining embers and secure the fire areas can begin on Wednesday. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had previously stated that “we could already see light at the end of the tunnel”.
More than 50,000 people in the areas around the Spanish capital have been gradually returning to their homes since Tuesday evening thanks to the stabilization of the fire situation. However, around 40,000 people are still affected by evacuations or exit restrictions. There will soon be good news for them too, assured spokespersons for the operations teams.
Largest forest fire in recent Spanish history
The forest fire in the province of Castellón in the east of the country is now causing greater concern, where the flames remain out of control. In the Vall d’Uixó area, the fire has so far affected around 10,000 hectares of forest and bushland. A total of around 16,000 people had been evacuated there since the weekend, but many have now been able to return to their homes.
Meanwhile, the forest fire continues to rage in Castellón.Image: keystone
The popular holiday destination is currently experiencing one of the most devastating series of forest fires in recent history. According to official information, 207,000 hectares have already been affected since the beginning of the year. However, larger tourist hotspots have not yet been affected.
In Turkey, a forest fire also broke out in the southwestern province of Mugla on the Aegean Sea. As a result, a local hospital and residential areas had to be evacuated. Around 200 people were affected. (nil/sda/dpa)