Summary

Live Reporting

Edited by Craig Hoyle and Charlotte Hadfield

  1. Fires rage in France and Spain as weather forecast offers little respite

    Imogen James
    Live reporter

    A forest up in flames, that are taller than the trees, and thick dark smokeGetty Images

    Wildfires continue to burn in Europe, with hundreds of thousands displaced in France and Spain.

    Three fires have merged near the Spanish capital of Madrid; the interior ministry says just under 60,000 have been evacuated, with another 28,000 told to stay in their homes.

    One person died after a separate fire near Valencia, according to local firefighters.

    In France, 60,000 were evacuated from Bordeaux's suburbs, after the entire Cap Ferret peninsula was evacuated earlier in the week - almost 200,000 have been displaced in total, as fires rage in the Landes and Gironde regions.

    France's military has mobilised 1,500 personnel alongside specialist equipment from other European countries including Germany, Croatia and Slovakia.

    BBC Weather reports that Spain's fire-affected areas are expected to stay warm and dry, while in France any rainfall is expected to be very limited.

    We're ending our live coverage for now, but you can read more in our news story.

  2. Extreme heat to build up again in affected areas

    Stav Danaos
    BBC Weather

    The rain forecast across northern Spain will remain well to the north of Madrid this evening and overnight. It will do little to help the ongoing wildfires burning to the west of the capital.

    The fire-affected areas are expected to stay warm and dry, with no meaningful rainfall reaching them over the next couple of days, allowing the wildfire risk to remain high.

    Looking ahead, the forecast offers little relief for Spain. Extreme heat and persistent sunshine are set to return during the coming week, exacerbating the already critical wildfire risk across many parts of the country.

    Meanwhile, a band of showers and thunderstorms will continue to develop across parts of southern and south-western France this evening and overnight.

    In Gironde, the Landes and the Bordeaux areas - where the most significant wildfires are burning - any rainfall is expected to be very limited, with many places staying dry.

    Extreme heat will build again across much of France during the coming week, particularly in the south, where the return of very hot, dry weather is expected to further intensify the already high wildfire risk.

    A cluster of skyscrapers are shown from ground level, with the sun visible but partially obscured through smoke.Getty Images

    Smoke from wildfires casts a haze over the Madrid skyline on Saturday

  3. Valencia fire now stabilised as multiple resources sent to site

    As we just reported, one person has died following a forest fire near the eastern Spanish city Valencia.

    A fire has been burning near the Salt de l'Aigua ravine in the town of Manises throughout Saturday, with six firefighting units assisting efforts, the Valencia fire brigade says.

    It adds that they also sent further aerial resources to the blaze, which was later classified as a forest fire.

    Officials say the fire was stabilised at 16:38 local time (15:38 BST). They located the fatality in the area affected by the fire.

  4. Man dies in area affected by fire near Valencia, authorities say
    Breaking

    A man has died in the Spanish town of Manises following a forest fire in the area, according to the Valencia fire brigade.

    The town is north-west of Valencia - officials say they continue to work on site and several people have been treated by medical services for smoke inhalation and burns.

  5. 400M military aircraft carries out first firefighting mission in France

    Red fire retardant is dropped out the back of an Airbus A400M. A red trail has formed behind the plane while green trees are seen belowReuters

    The Airbus A400M making its first-ever drop over the wildfire near Lacanau in south-west France

    An A400M military aircraft has carried out its first firefighting mission in south-west France.

    The aircraft has the ability to drop 20 tonnes of retardant or water and can reach vulnerable areas, the French interior ministry has said.

    The ministry and French armed forces have decided to provide and equip the A400M on an experimental basis to strengthen the country's ability to fight forest fires.

  6. Scotland requests military help as wildfire burns for 10th day in national park

    Smoke rising above hills across a field covering the sky linePA Media

    While the fires continue to burn in France and Spain, another remains alight in Scotland's Cairngorms National Park.

    The fire broke out last Wednesday south of Nethy Bridge, with more than 100 firefighters and a helicopter battling the blaze.

    It has since been declared a major incident following a change in the weather, prompting residents to be evacuated.

    In its latest update, the Scottish government says it is waiting for a response from the UK government regarding a request for military help. First Minister John Swinney says its an "improved picture" but the fire remains a "major" incident.

    Earlier, he said there has been a "welcome change of wind direction overnight," reducing the "immediate threat to Nethy Bridge".

    A map of the Scottish Highlands, showing an area of red in Cairngorms National Park labelled "active fires in the last 24 hours".

    A firebreak constructed overnight was completed as work is now focused on creating further firebreaks to interrupt the pattern of the fire.

    Residents in a small area of north-west of Dorback Lodge are also being evacuated as a precaution, but police say there are no more plans for further evacuations.

    The Cairngorms is the UK's largest national park, home to reindeer, endangered species and beautiful landscapes.

  7. 'We thought it was a lovely sunset walk, but it was the fire making the sky pink'

    Mary Litchfield
    BBC Your Voice

    A queue of cars with a pink sky that is glowing from flamesVenetia and Tom Bentley

    The family said it was not a sunset but instead the flames making the sky pink and orange

    Venetia and Tom Bentley are on holiday in France with their three children aged 18, 16 and 13.

    They were evacuated off Sandaya campsite at 21:30 on Friday in Sanguinet, north-west of Biscarrosse, where a large fire is burning.

    Venetia says they had been for what they thought was “a lovely sunset walk, but it was actually the fire and smoke making it pink and hazy".

    Shortly after, an emergency alert came through. “The alarm went off and we got everything in the car and off we went," she says.

    She explains they wanted to "keep the kids calm" so they didn't panic.

    "We tried to keep it light, talking about what songs we could play in the car. We got stuck in traffic trying to get out.”

    They travelled to Bordeaux and managed to book somewhere thirty miles up the coast. Today, they have moved again to another campsite, where they say "luckily the air is clear".

    Purple rectangle graphic with your voice written on it in white writing

  8. Owners take shelter with pets after fleeing wildfires

    Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from parts of France and Spain as wildfires rage - but animals are feeling the effects too.

    Photos from shelters in both Bordeaux and Madrid show some residents taking refuge with their beloved pets.

    Not everyone was so lucky. A Gironde resident told our reporter yesterday she had to leave two of her cats and four chickens behind as they could not be found in the race to leave.

    Writing on X earlier, Madrid's regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso said that assistance was available to treat animals affected by the fire, including for food and veterinary care.

    Livestock has been affected too, with footage from Reuters showing Spanish military firefighters rescuing cows from a blaze in Madrid.

    An evacuee sits with two dogs at the Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre, which has been turned into a shelter for people displaced by a wildfire burning nearbyReuters

    An evacuee sits with two dogs at the shelter in Bordeaux

    Rodika, 60, from Fresnedillas de la Oliva looks at her cat as people affected by the wildfires take shelter at the Municipal Sports Hall of Villanueva de la Canada, MadridReuters

    A woman in Madrid strokes her cat who has been evacuated in a carrier

    Yaza, 26, sits next to her dog as people affected by the wildfires take shelter at the Municipal Sports Hall of Villanueva de la Canada, MadridReuters

    Another woman in Madrid takes a moment to rest with her dog after taking shelter

    Spanish military firefighters rescuing livestock from the blaze in MadridReuters

    Spanish military firefighters rescue livestock in Robledo de Chavela

  9. France's military deploys 'unprecedented' resources to help fight fires

    Firefighters get ready on a support line between the villages of Lacanau and Saint-Helene in the Bordeaux region, south-western FranceEPA/Shutterstock

    Firefighters get ready on a support line between the villages of Lacanau and Saint-Helene in the Bordeaux region, south-western France

    France's armed forces says it will have 1,500 military personnel deployed as of Saturday evening to aid with efforts against the fire.

    In a statement after a crisis meeting, it says an "unprecedented" deployment of resources is being put in place.

    It adds that the number of personnel will be continuously adapted to deal with the ongoing situation, and they will assist with evacuating people as well as protecting homes.

    They are also helping with catering, water, and transport for those displaced, as well as offering helicopters and air force firefighting forces including a water bomber.

  10. People evacuated from growing list of towns in France and Spain

    Hundreds of thousands of people have now been evacuated as wildfires continue to rage in parts of France and Spain.

    In France

    Evacuations in France have taken place in parts of the Gironde and Landes regions. Seven towns near Bordeaux were the most recent to be evacuated, with residents leaving in the early hours of Saturday:

    • Le Haillan
    • Eysines
    • Mérignac
    • Saint-Aubin de Médoc
    • Saint-Médard-en-Jalles
    • Martignas-sur-Jalles
    • Saint-Jean d'Illac

    Other areas evacuated in recent days include the entire Cap Ferret peninsula on the south-west coast.

    In Spain

    People have also been evacuated from parts of Madrid and Ávila. Spain's Civil Guard lists the affected areas as:

    • Rozas de Puerto Real
    • Cadalso de los Vidrios
    • Cenicientos
    • Urbanización Entrepinos
    • La Adrada
    • Piedralaves
    • Sotillo de la Adrada
    • Casillas
    • Santa María del Tiétar
    • La Iglesuela
    • Arenas de San Pedro

  11. Mum told not to leave holiday home after sleeping through evacuation order

    Rebecca Papin speaks into a web camera. She is wearing a white top and a clothes rack with clothes can be seen behind her

    A French-American mother has described how "there was ash falling from the sky like snow" after a wildfire broke out near her holiday home in Biscarrosse, south-west France.

    Rebecca Papin tells the BBC's Today programme she saw "an entire wall of fire" when she returned to her home after first seeing smoke in the distance from a nearby beach.

    Papin says since the fire did not seem close on Thursday night she put her "exhausted" children to bed and got some rest to prepare for a tiring day ahead.

    "Apparently during the night when I was asleep with my ear plugs in they evacuated the city and I did not hear it," she explains, adding that she was advised to remain in her home on Friday morning.

    Papin says the main roads nearby have been closed, while a road down towards the beach has been "overwhelmed with cars".

  12. Final stage of Tour de France shortened as security redeployed to wildfires
    Breaking

    Cyclists move along a road next to a lake during the 20th stage of the Tour De France. The foot hills and mountains of the Alps can be seen in the backgroundReuters

    The final leg of the Tour de France - due to take place tomorrow - will be shortened from 133km (83 miles) to 89km (55 miles) so that security forces can be redeployed to areas affected by wildfires, organisers and police have said.

    In a statement shared on social media, they say the decision is "in the spirit of national solidarity".

    The race passed through Bordeaux earlier this month before the current fires broke out, and will conclude in Paris tomorrow.

    Fans were urged to stay away from the finish line of the third stage earlier this month because of wildfires in Les Angles in the south of France.

  13. Helicopters, planes and ground teams sent to France from across Europe

    France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has given an update on efforts by other European countries to help France.

    He says resources have been bolstered by:

    • Forty personnel from a Romanian forest fire team
    • A Croatian Canadair water-bombing plane
    • Two Portuguese and two Swedish Air Tractor planes
    • Two heavy helicopters from Germany, one from the Czech Republic and another from Slovakia
    • Four Swiss light helicopters, alongside 30 ground team personnel

    Nuñez thanks the European countries for their support.

  14. 'We are far from having the fire under control,' says French official

    The prefect of Landes says the situation in the area is "slightly less" critical than yesterday, as conditions are more humid on Saturday.

    But embers are creating new hotspots hundreds of metres from the main fire in the area, Gilles Clavreul tells French broadcaster Ici.

    "We are far from having the fire under control," he says.

  15. In Bordeaux, evacuees take shelter in exhibition centre

    French authorities have ordered the evacuation of towns in Bordeaux’s western suburbs in the early hours of Saturday morning.

    The towns are in the possible path of the wildfire, our Paris correspondent reports, and include part of Mérignac, where the city’s airport is located.

    A woman looks at her phone at the Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre, which has been turned into a shelter for people displaced by a wildfire.Reuters

    Evacuees were seen resting in makeshift beds

    Evacuated residents rest at the Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre, which has been turned into a shelter for people displaced by a wildfire burning nearby amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, in Bordeaux, France, July 25, 2026.Reuters

    The large hall has been set up with tables and chairs

    Evacuees wait outside one of the halls at the Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre, which has been turned into a shelter for people displaced by a wildfire burning nearby amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, in Bordeaux, France, July 25, 2026.Reuters

    Some were seen sitting outside

    A woman rests at the Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre, which has been turned into a shelter for people displaced by a wildfire.Reuters

    The evacuation order came through at around 03:00 local time (02:00 BST) on Saturday

  16. Almost 90,000 evacuated or in lockdown in Spain - authorities

    People affected by the wildfires take shelter at the Municipal Sports Hall of Villanueva de la Canada, Community of Madrid, SpainReuters

    A total of 59,488 people have been evacuated from areas of Madrid and Ávila because of wildfires, while more than 28,000 remain confined to their homes, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry.

    In its latest update, the ministry breaks down the number of people evacuated or confined to their homes.

    In Ávila province:

    • Confined - 8,000
    • Evacuated - 30,000

    In the Community of Madrid:

    • Confined - 20,262
    • Evacuated - 29,488
  17. Analysis

    The scale of the wildfires in France and Spain is striking

    Justin Rowlatt
    Climate editor

    A view of a wildfire near Lacanau, amongst worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of FranceReuters

    Wildfire burns near Lacanau, France, following a heatwave and water shortages

    July is the heart of the Mediterranean wildfire season, so the fires in Spain and southern France are not unusually early. What is striking is the scale already reached.

    Spain has burned far more land than at the same point last year, while France says significant fire activity began several weeks earlier than usual and the area burned is already well above normal.

    Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average, and that rapid warming is making its summers hotter and, particularly in the south, drier.

    Those conditions leave soil, trees and other vegetation with less moisture, creating the fuel in which wildfires can take hold. A spark is still needed - most often from human activity, usually accidental but sometimes deliberate, or from lightning.

    Once a fire starts, extreme heat, dry vegetation and strong winds can help it spread faster, burn more intensely and become much harder to control.

    How forests and landscapes are managed also matter: Accumulated vegetation and abandoned land can provide more fuel for fires.

    But the European Environment Agency has said “climate change has increased forest fire risk across Europe”, with the greatest danger expected in southern Europe.

  18. Smoke hung in the air almost 200 miles away from fires in France

    Daniel Sandford
    UK correspondent, on holiday in France

    Returning from a family holiday south of the French city of Biarritz, we headed north into a blanket of smoke with the sun glowing red - when it could be seen at all.

    We drove through the acrid haze for more than three hours, keeping well inland, choosing the N10 rather than the A10.

    There was still smoke in the air when we got to Poitiers, close to 200 miles from the heart of the fires.

  19. EU deploys planes and helicopters to France and Spain

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wears a white coloured shirt and a pink jacket. She is standing in front of an EU flagEPA/Shutterstock

    EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says that 11 planes and helicopters have been sent to France and Spain from its firefighting fleet to help tackle the wildfires.

    In a post on X, she explains that five planes and two helicopters from the rescEU fleet have been deployed in France while four planes are arriving in Spain on Saturday.

    "My thoughts are with the firefighters who bravely battle the flames and with all those evacuated," she adds.

  20. Evacuation and destruction as wildfires rage in France and Spain

    As the fires continue to burn across parts of France and Spain, the aftermath is becoming clear for some.

    Evacuations are continuing for thousands, while homes have been left destroyed.

    Damage to a house in the village of Burgohonfo, Avila province, as wildfires continue to rage in central SpainEPA/Shutterstock

    Damage to a house in the village of Burgohonfo, Avila province, as wildfires continue to rage in central Spain

    A security officer takes part in an evacuation operation for the village of Cadalso de los Vidrios, MadridEPA/Shutterstock

    A security officer helps to evacuate the village of Cadalso de los Vidrios in Madrid

    Dozens of firefighters set up their equipment on a support line between the villages of Lacanau and Saint-Helene in the Bordeaux regionEPA/Shutterstock

    Dozens of firefighters set up their equipment on a support line between the villages of Lacanau and Saint-Helene in the Bordeaux region

    A person stands near burnt land in the aftermath of wildfires in the village of Villa del Prado, Madrid on SaturdayEPA/Shutterstock

    The aftermath of wildfires in the village of Villa del Prado, Madrid