Wildfires raging across southern France and central Spain have driven more than 300,000 people from their homes, with the city of Bordeaux considering a complete evacuation as flames threaten nearly one million residents. The fires, described by French interior minister Laurent Nuñez as "probably" the largest peacetime evacuation the country has ever experienced, prompted a rare public display of gratitude from President Emmanuel Macron, who addressed Romanian firefighters directly in their own language.

France's fire crisis and the Bordeaux threat

Two large vegetation fires broke out west of Bordeaux, where fire crews remain overwhelmed and are, by official accounts, "far from having the fires under control." The prefecture is weighing a full evacuation of the city, as unpredictable fire vortices push flames towards its population of close to one million. Across France, 197,000 people had been evacuated as of Saturday, according to figures reported by The Guardian, while the combined total for France and Spain exceeded 300,000 by Sunday.

Thousands of hectares and numerous homes have been damaged in Gironde and Landes in the south-west, in Var, Hautes-Alpes and Haute-Corse in the south, and in Pyrénées-Orientales in Occitania. A French A400M aircraft has been deployed on firefighting operations for the first time, an adaptation President Macron praised as "a demonstration of the adaptability of our armed forces."

“Mii de hectare au fost devastate, locuințe au fost distruse, activități au fost întrerupte, iar viețile oamenilor au fost date peste cap. Vom reconstrui, vom repara și vom rămâne alături de cei afectați atât timp cât va fi nevoie.”

International solidarity on the fire line

Macron singled out the 40 Romanian firefighters operating in critical zones, supported by high-capacity vehicles, a 30,000-litre cistern, radio equipment and surveillance drones. On the night of 26 July he posted a photograph of five of them on X, writing in Romanian: "Mulțumesc, România" (Thank you, Romania). Romania's interim justice minister Cătălin Predoiu responded on Facebook, calling the message "a recognition of the professionalism of the Romanian firefighters" and adding that European solidarity is not a diplomatic formula but "concrete help, offered in time, when people's lives and communities are in danger."

“Le mulțumesc pentru curaj, disciplină și pentru felul în care reprezintă România. Solidaritatea europeană nu este o formulă diplomatică. Este ajutor concret, oferit la timp, atunci când viețile oamenilor și comunitățile sunt în pericol.”

Firefighting teams from eight countries are now on the ground in France: Romania, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Macron broadened his thanks to the entire European contingent and to Spanish, Italian and Greek populations also confronting fires, saying the crisis gives life to the solidarity on which Europe is founded.

“Mulțumim României, Croației, Germaniei, Portugaliei, Suediei, Elveției, Republicii Cehe și Slovaciei pentru sprijinul lor prețios. Aceasta este Europa. În momente de cumpănă, ea dă viață solidarității pe care se întemeiază.”

Spain's emergency and rising toll

Central Spain saw roughly 70,000 people evacuated, according to HotNews.ro, in what marks the first time the kingdom has declared a national state of emergency due to vegetation fires. The fires have compounded pressure on emergency services already stretched across the Mediterranean basin, with France deploying all available civil and military assets, including Canadair and Dash aircraft, helicopters and reinforcement teams from across the country.

France197,000

Spain70,000

France

197000 people

Spain

70000 people

Data from the article text

The number of evacuees continued to climb through the weekend. Early figures of 197,000 in France were overtaken by a combined total exceeding 300,000 by Sunday, as Bordeaux authorities kept the option of a total city evacuation on the table. The fires remain active across multiple départements, with no official timeline for containment.