In brief
President Emmanuel Macron has called a crisis meeting after fierce wildfires pushed close to Bordeaux and a heatwave threatens to worsen conditions. Relocation of 220,000 people in southwestern France and 90,000 in Spain’s Madrid and Ávila regions marks the scope of the emergency. The blaze in France produced a pyrocumulonimbus storm, challenging firefighting efforts and predicting temperatures up to 40 °C by Tuesday. Spanish officials report intense fires north of Valencia and view the wildfire as one of the country’s largest in recent memory.
Macron Calls Crisis Cabinet Meeting as Wildfires Threaten Bordeaux
French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday as wildfire fronts move within 15 km of Bordeaux. Mayor Thomas Cazenave said no evacuation would be staged for the city’s 850,000 residents, but thousands have already been relocated from surrounding villages.
Across France and Spain, fire has raged for a week, prompting the evacuation of more than 220,000 people in southwestern France and over 90,000 in Spain’s Madrid and Ávila regions. France’s southern‑west fires have scorched a record 42,000 hectares, with 98,000 hectares burned since the start of the year. The Bordeaux blaze has produced a “pyrocumulonimbus” fire thunderstorm, a self‑fuelling storm of wind and lightning that makes the fire front volatile and difficult to control.
Macron said that Saturday that France would “re‑build” and that the government would remain in the situation for as long as needed. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the fire as “very unfavourable” and warned that the front could shift toward Bordeaux. Meteorologists predict temperatures could rise to 40 °C from Tuesday, adding pressure on firefighters.
In Spain, a new blaze near the eastern coast of Valencia displaced 15,000 residents, and the weather forecast was expected to worsen. Officials highlighted the intensity of the fire and the need for continued responses, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe VI visiting evacuation camps. The Spanish wildfire near Madrid is the most extensive in recent history, according to the Minister for Ecological Transition Sara Aagesen.
Firefighters hope heavy rain over the next three days or steering the blaze toward the sea will bring it under control. Satellite maps show widespread active fire clusters in both countries, underscoring the urgency of coordinated emergency measures.