French authorities ordered 4,000 more people out of wildfire zones according to AP News. Total evacuations in France already around 220,000.
Giant blaze near Bordeaux has burned 42,000 hectares. Destroyed 240 houses. Fire is only about 15 km from the city. It is creating its own winds and a rare pyrocumulonimbus cloud with lightning.
Spain fighting major fires too. One around Avila is the biggest in recent history. Tens of thousands evacuated. Over 75,000 told to leave homes in some counts. Heatwave starts Wednesday and lasts at least through Sunday.
New heatwave hits France from Tuesday and Spain from Wednesday. Temperatures set to climb past 40C in places. Officials warn it will make firefighting much harder.
Macron visited crisis centre and said coming weeks will be tough. Firefighters and military already stretched thin. Interior minister called the Gironde fire unprecedented and unpredictable.
Power of the flames so strong they generate their own weather. Air quality degraded. Some smaller fires contained but the big one near Bordeaux remains active and dangerous.
Total land burned this year already huge. Spain over 150,000 hectares in some tallies. France over 100,000. Worst fires in living memory for many areas.
AP News: https://apnews.com/article/europe-wildfires-france-spain-bordeaux-0880421447ebd9ad4d2e505b37c54181
New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/world/europe/spain-wildfires-madrid.html
France 24: https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260728-france-and-spain-continue-to-battle-fires-as-new-heatwave-looms
BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg34128nvpo
Guardian live: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jul/28/europe-wildfires-fires-heatwave-bordeaux-france-spain-latest-news-updates