- 13h ago
France's prime minister says wildfires are under control as the Gironde megafire is fixed and 208,000 evacuees return home
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu says wildfires across France are now generally under control, ten days after the country's largest blaze since 1949 tore through 42,000 hectares in the Gironde wine region. A separate fire in the Var remains active and has forced fresh evacuations.
- 2d ago
Girondins de Bordeaux sold to Sparta Capital for symbolic euro, James Bord names Dominique Delport future president
Gérard Lopez sells the historic French club for a symbolic euro, with 10 million euros in escrow enabling an appeal against exclusion from national competitions.
- 2d ago
17% of French smokers admit tossing cigarette butts from car windows as wildfires burn 117,000 hectares
An Ipsos BVA survey for the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation finds 17% of smokers discard butts on motorways, a habit the foundation calls 'alarming' as over 14,000 fires have scorched 117,000 hectares in France this season.
- 2d ago
Spain wildfires burn 88,000 hectares, force 115,000 evacuations as firefighting pilots run out of flying hours
In the worst wildfire outbreak on record, more than 115,000 people were ordered to evacuate across several Spanish regions in the past week, while exhausted firefighting pilots warn they will soon be grounded by flight‑hour regulations.
- 3d ago
Record wildfires in Spain and France fuelled by climate change, studies show, as July heat shatters records
Spain endured its hottest July on record, tied with 2022, as wildfires burned 150,000 hectares in the month alone. A rapid attribution study finds global warming made the extreme fire conditions at least 20 times more likely in central Spain.
- 3d ago
Dozens of homes lost in Greek wildfires as France contains historic blaze
Strong winds up to 130 km/h grounded firefighting aircraft in Greece, where dozens of houses burned near Porto Germeno and up to 150 are believed damaged. Meanwhile, France declared its largest wildfire since 1949 under control after 42,000 hectares burned.
- 3d ago
George Clooney evacuates French estate as wildfire burns 130 hectares near Brignoles; pledges to help rebuild
The actor and his family left their Domaine du Canadel estate in Var after a fast-moving fire broke out Wednesday, though the property was outside the official evacuation zone. He wrote to the mayor promising community support.
- 4d ago
Greece wildfires: Chaïdari suburb evacuated as winds fan flames near Athens
New wildfires broke out near Athens on Friday, forcing the evacuation of part of the suburb of Chaïdari as strong winds fanned flames across Greece. Firefighters deployed water bombers and helicopters, while authorities also ordered evacuations in coastal areas and battled blazes on the islands of Paros and Crete.
- 4d ago
Fourth heatwave of 2026 hits France: 23 départements on orange alert as fires burn in Landes and Gironde
Temperatures reached 42°C in Bordeaux and 40°C in Lyon on Wednesday as Météo France placed 16 départements under orange heatwave alert. On Thursday seven more will be added, bringing the total to 23, while firefighters in Landes and Gironde battle a megafire that has consumed 42,000 hectares.
- 5d ago
Spain and France race to contain historic wildfires as fresh heatwave threatens to push temperatures past 40°C
Fires have already consumed over 77,000 hectares in central Spain and 42,000 in Gironde, France, forcing more than 325,000 people from their homes as forecasters warn of a punishing heatwave arriving mid-week.
- 5d ago
France's largest fire in 50 years burns 42,000 hectares and forces 220,000 evacuations near Bordeaux
The largest wildfire in France in 50 years has burned 42,000 hectares in Gironde, forced 220,000 evacuations, and destroyed 240 homes. Firefighters are racing to contain it before a new heatwave arrives on Tuesday.
- 6d ago
Fire storm phenomenon makes Gironde wildfire uncontrollable for first time in France
A pyrocumulonimbus, or 'fire storm,' has formed over the Gironde blaze, creating its own lightning and winds that firefighters say they cannot stop.
- 6d ago
Gironde wildfire encroaches on Bordeaux, defense and space sites under protection as blaze reaches 42,000 hectares
A massive wildfire in Gironde has reached 15 km from Bordeaux, forcing evacuations and threatening sensitive defense, aerospace, and scientific sites including ArianeGroup missile facilities and a CEA nuclear research center.
- Jul 26
Gironde wildfire surpasses 42,000 hectares, echoing 1949 disaster that killed 82
Fire tearing through Gironde since last week reached 42,000 hectares burned by Sunday morning, placing Bordeaux's industrial basin on alert and drawing comparisons to the deadly 1949 blaze that remains France's benchmark wildfire.
- Jul 26
Macron thanks Romania in Romanian while wildfires force mass evacuations in France and Spain
French President Emmanuel Macron posted a message in Romanian thanking the country's firefighters, as authorities in France and Spain battle wildfires that have forced more than 300,000 people from their homes, with Bordeaux facing a possible full evacuation.
- Jul 26
France orders 55,000 more residents to flee as wildfire engulfs 100,000 hectares near Bordeaux
The prefecture of Gironde ordered an additional 55,000 residents to evacuate overnight, bringing the total displaced in the region to at least 222,000 as the blaze creates its own wind system.
- Jul 26
Over 250,000 evacuated as fires sweep southwest France and central Spain
Soldiers and military aircraft join the fight as flames consume tens of thousands of hectares near Bordeaux and Madrid, with NASA’s deep space complex forced to suspend operations.
- Jul 25
Toxic smoke from Gironde and Landes wildfires blankets Bordeaux, 2.5 million FFP2 masks to be distributed
Since July 22, fires in Gironde and Landes have sent thick plumes of toxic particulates across the region, causing a surge in respiratory distress calls and prompting distribution of millions of protective masks.
- Jul 25
Wildfires Force 270,000 Evacuations in France and Spain; Bordeaux Airport Closed, NASA Center Evacuated
Massive wildfires in southwestern France and central Spain have forced over 270,000 people to evacuate, with Bordeaux's airport closed and a NASA deep-space communications center threatened near Madrid.
- Jul 25
Greece dispatches two Canadair water bombers to Spain, EU mobilises rescEU fleet against devastating wildfires
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed the deployment of two Canadair CL-415 water bombers to Madrid on Saturday, as the EU's rescEU fleet rushed additional aircraft to battle out-of-control blazes in Spain and France.
