Spain and France battle major wildfires amid extreme heat risk
Firefighters in Spain and France are battling major wildfires as forecasters warn of very high to extreme fire danger in the coming days. In central Spain, a blaze in the Guadalajara region has burned more than 32,000 hectares, making it one of the country's largest recorded fires. The situation comes as both countries continue to face intense summer heat and dry conditions that have made containment more difficult.
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Spanish weather officials said the wildfire risk was very high or extreme across most of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands. They also warned that the danger could rise further in the coming days, with dry thunderstorms and Saharan dust adding to the threat during the ongoing heatwave. In France, lighter winds and slightly lower temperatures have helped crews fighting a fire in the southeastern Var region, where about 2,500 hectares have burned.
The fire in Guadalajara is about 100 kilometres north of Madrid and has drawn a major response from firefighters in central Spain. The blaze has come less than two weeks after another deadly fire in southern Spain killed 13 people, including several foreigners. In the Var region, the fire has damaged dozens of houses and forced 400 people to flee, underlining the scale of disruption caused by the current fire season.
The fires are unfolding during a summer in which Europe has already seen repeated heatwaves. Data cited by forecasters shows that wildfires have burned more land this year across Europe than the annual average over the past two decades. Scientists have said human-driven climate change is increasing the intensity of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, while also creating conditions for sudden destructive storms.
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the fire-ravaged area in Guadalajara on Wednesday and called for a cross-party pact to address climate change. Speaking in the village of Tamajon, he said climate change was destroying lives and wealth in communities year after year. His comments reflect the growing political pressure on governments in southern Europe to respond to a fire season that is becoming more severe and more frequent.
What remains unclear is how quickly the Guadalajara fire can be contained and whether the forecast rise in temperatures will worsen conditions in Spain and France. Officials have urged people to exercise extreme caution as the risk remains elevated. The next few days will be important for firefighting efforts, especially if the forecast heat returns to Mediterranean areas with temperatures of 42 to 44 degrees Celsius.
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