France orders evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as thousands flee wildfires
Jakub Krupa
Thousands of people have been forced to flee parts of south-west France amid worsening wildfires that prompted the authorities to order people to evacuate from the Cap Ferret peninsula along the Atlantic coast.
A French Civil Security Canadair CL-415 aircraft sprays water on a forest surrounding Cotignac, southeastern France. Photograph: Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images
Evacuees have been told to leave the area before 10am, using hundreds of mobilised boats or the only road linking the area with the mainland.
Holidaymakers from Lege-Cap-Ferret carry their belongings along the pier upon their arrival in Arcachon during an evacuation operation of the entire Cap-Ferret peninsula in southwestern France. Photograph: Romain Perrocheau/AFP/Getty Images
More than 10,000 hectares are affected by the two concurrent wildfires, which last night crossed the firebreak established by firefighters.
The French authorities formally requested the activation of the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism to tap into the bloc’s resources as they battle the fires, with Emmanuel Macron saying the situation remained “very intense.”
The EU’s crisis commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, confirmed that “following France’s activation of the EU’s civil protection mechanism, the EU is providing assistance and deploying 3 water bomber aircraft.”
Dangerous situation is also unfolding in Spain, with the Spanish government declaring a national emergency over wildfires near Madrid and Avila, forcing more than 10,000 people to evacuate.
A wall of flames advances as a wildfire burns near Burgohondo, in Ávila province, Spain. Photograph: Mateo Lanzuela/Europa Press/AP
I will bring you all the updates here.
It’s Friday, 24 July 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
12m ago
Two wildfires near Madrid merged and formed a single blaze, authorities warn
15m ago
Dramatic satellite picture shows scale of wildfires in Spain
50m ago
EU to deploy four planes to Spain, three to France to assist local firefighters
2h ago
Two wildfires west of Madrid on the verge of merging, official warns
2h ago
Spanish firefighters battle to prevent ‘convergence’ of blazes, minister says
3h ago
France conducts total evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as wildfire spreads
3h ago
Declaration of national emergency in Spain is a big deal – snap analysis
3h ago
South-east of France also hit by wildfires with 25 houses destroyed
3h ago
Over 110,000 hectares of land burned by forest fires in 2026, Spanish authorities say
3h ago
‘We are living through a dramatic situation,’ Spain’s Sánchez says on wildfires in Spain, France
3h ago
‘Extreme’ fire danger around Spain as authorities seek help in battling wildfires
3h ago
Spain requests support through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism as it battles wildfires
4h ago
Romania shoots down drone breaching its airspace, and explosions reported in Kyiv – monitoring
4h ago
Evacuation of Cap Ferret in France – in pictures
4h ago
40,000 people ‘evacuated or being evacuated’ in French wildfire in Gironde, minister says
4h ago
France orders evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as thousands flee wildfires
Two wildfires near Madrid merged and formed a single blaze, authorities warn
Sam Jones
in Madrid
Meanwhile, the Spanish emergency services warned that the two wildfires near Madrid “have now merged, forming a single blaze.”
Smoke from a wildfire rises over the skyline in Pelayos de la Presa municipality, community of Madrid, Spain. Photograph: MARISCAL/EPA
The civil protection emergency coordination centre has sent a mobile phone alert to people in the municipalities of Chapinería, Navas del Rey, and Colmenar del Arroyo, ordering their evacuation.
“They should head to the following reception points: Navalcarnero, Móstoles, Alcorcón, Leganés, Brunete, Villanueva de la Cañada, Villaviciosa de Odón, and Las Rozas.”
The coordination centre has also requested the lockdown of the municipalities of San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa. A level 3 national emergency declaration remains in place.
ShareDramatic satellite picture shows scale of wildfires in Spain
This satellite picture, posted last night by the Spanish state meteorological office, Aemet, is quite dramatic.
It shows the smoke plumes from the fires in Madrid and Ávila:
A satellite picture of wildfires in Spain published by the Spanish state meteorological office, Aemet Photograph: X @AEMET_Esp/AemetShareEU to deploy four planes to Spain, three to France to assist local firefighters
Earlier today, the European Commission said it was following the situation in France and Spain with “great concern,” deploying its firefighting planes under the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism.
The EU has a fleet of 22 planes and five helicopters ready to deploy, alongside over 700 firefighters “pre-positioned” across the key risk areas.
Four firefighting planes will be sent to help in Spain, and three to France, it said.
“We obviously hope that all hell will not break loose but we are preparing for a severe situation given that we will be seeing these extreme weather events more frequently, and they will be harshed and more brutal,” EU spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said.
ShareSam Jones
in Madrid
Forest fires in the area near the Spanish capital are nothing new.
Last year, a blaze hit Tres Cantos and Soto de Viñuelas, half an hour’s drive north of the city, killing one man, devouring 1,000 hectares of land and forcing the evacuation of dozens of people.
Here’s a piece I wrote about the fire’s aftermath.
ShareTwo wildfires west of Madrid on the verge of merging, official warns
Two of three wildfires raging west of Madrid are “on the verge of merging“ into a single blaze, the regional government’s representative in Madrid said on Friday, warning that the fire was “out of control”, AFP reported.
Wildfires force the evacuation of 10,000 locals near Madrid. Photograph: Jose Ignacio Viseras/GTRES/Shutterstock
“Two fires, the one in San Martin and the one in Villa del Prado, are on the verge of merging and becoming a single blaze advancing towards Navas del Rey,” Francisco Martin told reporters, adding that further villages in the area were being evacuated.
ShareSam Jones
in Madrid
More evacuation orders have been issued for the Madrid municipalities of Chapinería, Navas del Rey, and Colmenar del Arroyo.
ShareSpanish firefighters battle to prevent ‘convergence’ of blazes, minister says
The main priority for firefighters tackling wildfires raging in villages around Madrid is to prevent the “convergence” of the blazes, Spain’s interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters on Friday.
A firefighting helicopter drops water on the flames as a wildfire advances near Burgohondo, Ávila province, Spain. Photograph: Manu Fernández/AP
The authorities were dealing with an “unfavourable situation” due to strong wind gusts of more than 50 kilometres (30 miles) per hour, low humidity and high temperatures, he added in comments reported by AFP and made during a visit to the emergency command centre in the village of Cenicientos.
Several municipalities remained under confinement orders on Friday, AFP noted.
More than 430 elderly people and people with disabilities from five care homes were among the evacuated, the regional government of Madrid said in a statement.
ShareFrance conducts total evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as wildfire spreads
Jon Henley
Europe correspondent
Authorities in south-western France have ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast by land and sea as an “intense and highly unpredictable” wildfire advances on one of the country’s best-known holiday spots.
Thousands evacuated in south of France as wildfire rages across pine forest – video
The fire had burned more than 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) by Friday morning, the French interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, said, with 40,000 people already or about to be evacuated, including thousands of tourists from campsites and rental homes.
Boats began ferrying holidaymakers and residents off four piers on the peninsula early on Thursday after the Gironde prefecture ordered its progressive evacuation, “village by village”, by sea or by the only road linking the area with the mainland.
Brutal heat, as climate breakdown triggers more frequent and extreme weather events – causing thousands of excess deaths, evaporating soils and fuelling wildfires – has also prompted Spain to declare a national emergency, with blazes burning out of control.
ShareDeclaration of national emergency in Spain is a big deal – snap analysisSam Jones
in Madrid
Worth stressing that the declaration of a national emergency in Spain is a big deal.
A firefighting helicopter drops water on the flames as a wildfire advances near Burgohondo, Ávila province, Spain. Photograph: Manu Fernández/AP
The move – which allows the central government to assume overall control of powers and responsibilities that are usually the domain of Spain’s self-governing regions – has only happened once before, which was during the nationwide blackout in April 2025.
Spain’s regional governments are sometimes reluctant to cede their powers to the central government when emergencies occur.
The deadly floods that hit Valencia at the end of October 2024, killing more than 230 people, were classified as a level 2 emergency, meaning that the regional government was in charge of the response effort.
Had the disaster been declared a level 3 emergency at the request of the Valencian government, then the central government would have stepped in – as has happened with the current wildfires.
Updated at 05.40 EDT
South-east of France also hit by wildfires with 25 houses destroyed
Over in France, it’s not just the south-west that gets affected, but the country’s south-east regions are also being hard hit, AFP noted.
Dozens of fires flared up and are being fanned by the mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac – officials saying around 25 houses had been destroyed since Tuesday.
A Canadair water bomber drops water on a fast moving wildfire as a firefighting helicopter flies above the smoke near Cotignac, France. Photograph: Durand Thibaut/ABACA/ShutterstockShareOver 110,000 hectares of land burned by forest fires in 2026, Spanish authorities saySam Jones
in Madrid
In an update issued on Friday morning, Spain’s environment ministry said 114,796.42 hectares of land had been burned by forest fires so far this year, compared with 25,133.26 by the same time last year.
It also said that 29 big forest fires had been recorded so far in 2026. That figure represents a huge increase from the average of nine big forest fires between January and the end of July per year over the past decade.
Share‘We are living through a dramatic situation,’ Spain’s Sánchez says on wildfires in Spain, FranceSam Jones
in Madrid
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez responded to the wildfires ravaging parts of country and neighbouring France, amid heightened warnings about their further spread.
In a post on X, he said:
“We’re living through a dramatic situation, not just in various Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighbouring countries. Forest fires are devastating thousands of hectares and affecting numerous communities.
“I want to express my deepest solidarity with all those who are watching the fire burn their forests and threaten their homes. The government has deployed all available resources. It will be by your side during the emergency and the recovery. Thank you to the BRIF (Forest Fire Brigades), the UME (Military Emergency Unit), the Security Forces, the Civil Protection System, and all the emergency services that are fighting day and night to stop the advance of the flames and extinguish the fire.”
Share‘Extreme’ fire danger around Spain as authorities seek help in battling wildfiresSam Jones
in Madrid
On Thursday night, authorities in the Madrid region asked the central government to step in and declare the fires around the region a national emergency.
Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit UME personnel fighting a wildfire in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Madrid. Photograph: X account of Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit UME (@UMEgob)/AFP/Getty Images
Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, commended the people of the region for their response to the fires and thanked the emergency services for their efforts.
“We remain attentive minute by minute, deeply grateful for the work, solidarity, and patience of everyone,” she said. “As soon as the magnitude of this disaster is known, the Community of Madrid will announce aid and plans to mitigate its consequences.”
In a video posted on social media, the shift commander for Madrid’s emergency medical services urged people to be extra vigilant as the fires continued to burn.
“If people notice smoke or ashes in the air, we recommend that they do not take part in any outdoor activities,” said Ester Armela. “If people have any chronic breathing problems of allergies, they should use facemasks when going outside.” If people developed serious symptoms, she added, people they should ring the 112 emergency line.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, chaired an emergency response meeting at the Moncloa palace on Friday morning as the state meteorological office warned that the danger of more fires remained high.
“Today, the fire danger will remain very high or extreme across most of the territory despite the drop in temperatures,” it said. “Conditions will improve slightly over the weekend, but the danger will rise again in the following days.
Spain’s interior ministry has also requested for fire-fighting aircraft through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism (10:53).
ShareSpain requests support through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism as it battles wildfires
Meanwhile, Spain has also requested the support of four firefighting aircraft through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism, the bloc’s system for coordinating disaster assistance among member states, to help tackle multiple wildfires near Madrid, the interior ministry said.
Overnight, France did the same, as reported earlier (9:48).
ShareRomania shoots down drone breaching its airspace, and explosions reported in Kyiv – monitoringJakub Krupa
There are also two other emerging news lines in Europe this morning.
Romania’s military just shot down a drone breaching its airspace, the country’s president Nicușor Dan said. He said the drone was spotted over an uninhabited area of the country, allowing an F-16 fighter jet to shoot it down “without any risks”.
Elsewhere, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv is under a ballistic missile warning with explosions reported across the city, after Ukraine struck warehouses supplying Russian army overnight.
I will keep an eye on both of these stories for you.
Updated at 05.28 EDT
Evacuation of Cap Ferret in France – in picturesPeople on the beach in Andernos-Les Bains during fire in Lege Cap-Ferret forest, southwestern France. Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty ImagesHolidaymakers from Lege-Cap-Ferret disembark from a boat upon their arrival in Arcachon during an evacuation operation of the entire Cap-Ferret peninsula, in southwestern France. Photograph: Romain Perrocheau/AFP/Getty ImagesA volunteer gives indication to holidaymakers from Lege-Cap-Ferret upon their arrival in Arcachon by boat during an evacuation operation of the entire Cap-Ferret peninsula, in southwestern France. Photograph: Romain Perrocheau/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Nuñez also warned about a second fire in Biscarrosse, which he said was also “significant” and “somewhat similar” to the main fire in Gironde since it broke out yesterday afternoon.
The entrance of the town of Biscarosse, southwestern France, with a sky turned hazy yellowish-grey by the smoke of a wildfire spreading through the surrounding forest. Photograph: Romain Perrocheau/AFP/Getty Images
It has burned over 2,500 hectares, prompting the evacuation of just over 20,000 people, he said.
The minister said that the weather conditions were “highly unfavourable,” making it difficult for more than 700 firefighters deployed there to tackle the blaze, and “the fire continues to spread.”
Share40,000 people ‘evacuated or being evacuated’ in French wildfire in Gironde, minister says
Speaking at a press conference this morning, France’s interior minister Laurent Nuñez said that the largest wildfire in Gironde – which started in Somos, but now moved to the Cap Ferret peninsula – has already burned more than 10,000 hectares.
Firefighters try to extinguishing fires burning trees using a wildland water truck near Le Porge, southwestern France. Photograph: Romain Perrocheau/AFP/Getty Images
“As I speak, a total of 40,000 people have been or are currently being evacuated due to this fire,” he said.
Nuñez warned that “the fire is currently not under control and continues to spread,” with around 1,000 firefighters involved in battling the blaze.
In total, more than 50,000 hectares have been burned in wildfires since the start of the year.
ShareFrance orders evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as thousands flee wildfiresJakub Krupa
Thousands of people have been forced to flee parts of south-west France amid worsening wildfires that prompted the authorities to order people to evacuate from the Cap Ferret peninsula along the Atlantic coast.
A French Civil Security Canadair CL-415 aircraft sprays water on a forest surrounding Cotignac, southeastern France. Photograph: Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images
Evacuees have been told to leave the area before 10am, using hundreds of mobilised boats or the only road linking the area with the mainland.
Holidaymakers from Lege-Cap-Ferret carry their belongings along the pier upon their arrival in Arcachon during an evacuation operation of the entire Cap-Ferret peninsula in southwestern France. Photograph: Romain Perrocheau/AFP/Getty Images
More than 10,000 hectares are affected by the two concurrent wildfires, which last night crossed the firebreak established by firefighters.
The French authorities formally requested the activation of the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism to tap into the bloc’s resources as they battle the fires, with Emmanuel Macron saying the situation remained “very intense.”
The EU’s crisis commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, confirmed that “following France’s activation of the EU’s civil protection mechanism, the EU is providing assistance and deploying 3 water bomber aircraft.”
Dangerous situation is also unfolding in Spain, with the Spanish government declaring a national emergency over wildfires near Madrid and Avila, forcing more than 10,000 people to evacuate.
A wall of flames advances as a wildfire burns near Burgohondo, in Ávila province, Spain. Photograph: Mateo Lanzuela/Europa Press/AP
I will bring you all the updates here.
It’s Friday, 24 July 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.