Thousands of residents and holidaymakers have fled towns and villages across France, Spain and Portugal as wildfires, driven by high winds and tinder-dry conditions, continue to spread. More than 11,000 people have been forced to leave France's south-western Gironde region in recent days, while dozens of fires are burning in Portugal and Spain, where temperatures have surged above 40C.
At least 281 deaths in Spain and Portugal have been linked to the heat, and several towns in western Spain have been evacuated. Portuguese villagers were also told to flee when flames crossed the border from Spain. In Portugal, a record July high of 47C was recorded at Pinhão on Thursday. The Carlos III Health Institute said at least 43 people died during the first two days of the latest heatwave, while Portuguese health officials attributed 238 excess deaths since 7 July to the hot and dry conditions. The elderly, children and people with chronic diseases are worst affected, and emergency officials reported 187 injuries from fires in the past week.
Firefighters in Spain fought to protect the town of Monsagro as fires erupted further south in the Monfragüe national park, forcing the closure of the main N-5 route in Cáceres when a forest fire reached the road. In France, police went door to door to evacuate 4,000 residents from the Cazaux district south-west of Bordeaux, with smoke seen close to La Teste-de-Buch and long queues of traffic as people tried to leave. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said an electric car was responsible for the fire at La Teste-de-Buch, but prosecutors classified a second fire at Landiras as criminal.
An estimated 73 square kilometres of pine forest has burned in the Gironde region, including around Arcachon and Landiras. Grégory Allione, head of the French firefighters' federation, warned of global warming's impact: "It's firefighters, civil security who deal with the effects on a daily basis - and these effects aren't in 2030, they're right now." He also called for 250,000 volunteer firefighters as fatigue sets in. Italy and Croatia have also reported forest fires, with eight people jumping into the sea at Bibione to escape flames. In Greece, strong winds have raised wildfire risk in five regions, with 51 fires counted in 24 hours and evacuations ordered near Athens.
Across the Strait of Gibraltar, toxic wildfires have been ripping through parts of Morocco. The EU's Copernicus emergency management service highlighted the biggest fire risks across Southern Europe and North Africa.
