French authorities ordered nearly 4,000 people evacuated Tuesday from tourist sites on the Atlantic coast because returning heat jeopardized firefighters' tenuous control over a massive wildfire west of Bordeaux.
These new evacuations intensified an exceptional-scale wildfire emergency across southwestern Europe. Fires in France and Spain have necessitated the evacuation of approximately 330,000 individuals, while Spain began its fourth summer heat wave with several blazes remaining uncontrolled, including its largest on record.
Firefighters had managed to contain the French fire through a calm night, bringing flare-ups near coastal dunes under control and keeping the burned area steady at 420 square kilometers (162 square miles).
Authorities characterized the Gironde fire as stabilized, not resolved—meaning it retained the potential to spread again as temperatures increased and humidity decreased.
Gironde regional authorities stated that the precautionary evacuation order encompassed campsites, holiday villages, tourist residences, and leisure parks surrounding the Lacanau resort, including Lacanau Ocean and both shores of Lake Lacanau.
Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for France’s national firefighters federation, told BFMTV on Tuesday, “We are at a point of fragility.” He added, “We will continue attacking this fire despite the forecast rise in temperatures.”
The blaze, which has been active since last week, displayed unpredictable behavior, occasionally transforming into a self-sustaining firestorm as it consumed an area four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people to leave their homes and vacation accommodations.
Even after 24 hours without further expansion, officials cautioned that smoldering vegetation, rising temperatures, and decreasing humidity could trigger new outbreaks along the extensive perimeter.
Firefighters and military engineers resumed work early Tuesday on tactical firebreaks intended to prevent flame spread. Authorities reported that 103 kilometers (64 miles) of firebreaks had been completed.
The prefecture indicated that ninety-three firefighters sustained injuries while combating the blaze.
The A63 highway remained partially closed, and rail service south of Bordeaux was suspended except for the route heading toward Toulouse.
Thousands Return Following Progress on Second Fire
The overnight containment effort in Gironde contrasted with a clearer sign of progress in neighboring Landes, where thousands of evacuees were permitted to return home after a separate wildfire was brought under control. That fire had displaced over 30,000 residents and vacationers.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated Monday evening that “The fire is fixed, which is good news in the Landes.” Regional authorities confirmed this meant its advance had ceased and no new fires were emerging.
About 15,000 people were authorized to return home Monday night in Sanguinet, Parentis-en-Born, and certain areas of Biscarrosse.
Residents of Biscarrosse’s aviation village and a large campground were among those allowed back, though several other neighborhoods remained inaccessible.
This return represented a significant step for communities that had emptied as flames moved through forests and tourist zones during the peak of the summer vacation season.
Authorities cautioned that the Landes fire was not completely extinguished.
Residual hot spots, wind, and drought could cause flare-ups, necessitating continued surveillance and damping-down operations for days or potentially weeks.
Heat Returns
The gains in both fire areas faced an immediate challenge Tuesday as temperatures began to climb again.
France’s national weather service issued a yellow heat warning for Gironde starting at midday, projecting inland temperatures between 33 and 35 C (91 to 95 F). Southeast winds were anticipated across the department, accompanied by westerly sea breezes along the coast.
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 116,000 hectares have burned across France this year so far.
The European Union’s Copernicus climate service reported that Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record, with extreme heat and widespread dryness contributing to fire spread and intensification in France and Spain.
Spain Prepares for Worsening Conditions
Hundreds of firefighters, supported by military emergency brigades and water-dropping aircraft, continued fighting several major wildfires in Spain, including the largest ever recorded in the fire-prone nation.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated Tuesday that nonstop work throughout the night left him “reasonably positive,” but warned conditions could worsen as temperatures rose again.
Spain’s national weather service announced on Tuesday that the country was entering its fourth summer heat wave, with some areas expected to exceed 40 C (104 F).
Authorities have evacuated approximately 79,000 people and ordered an additional 30,000 to remain in their residences during an unprecedented crisis that led the government to declare a national emergency for wildfires for the first time.
The primary concern remained two large fires that had occasionally approached merging into a single mega-blaze in wooded hills about an hour’s drive west of Madrid.
Another fire in the eastern province of Castellón also prompted mass evacuations.
The government reported that a fire burning through hilly, rural terrain in Ávila, west of Madrid, has become Spain's largest on record, scorching over 500 square kilometers (193 square miles), which is five times the size of Barcelona.
David Gonzalez, a 48-year-old gardener who used his van to supply firefighters in Ávila, commented, “Look at how the valley is burned. Look at the houses, the people.” He added, “We are feeling a lot of anger and helplessness. It’s something inhuman.”
Sara Aagesen, the ecology minister, stated that fires have burned 1,530 square kilometers (590 square miles) in Spain this year—six times the area scorched by blazes in the first half of 2025.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for a national pact to combat wildfires exacerbated by climate change.