Spain Wildfire Evacuees Return as France Battles Fresh Heatwave Fires

ALDEA DEL FRESNO- Thousands of residents evacuated by devastating wildfires in central Spain began returning home on Wednesday as authorities eased remaining evacuation orders, while neighboring France battled active blazes under a renewed heatwave that threatened to fuel further fire outbreaks.

The two countries have endured one of their most destructive wildfire periods in recent memory over the past week, with fires consuming vast areas of land, displacing tens of thousands of people and stretching emergency response efforts.

Spanish authorities lifted the last evacuation orders affecting communities in Avila province and two towns near Madrid, allowing residents to return after firefighters made progress in containing the fires. While many found their homes intact, others returned to scenes of extensive destruction.

Maria Jesus Perez Blanca, a resident in her seventies, said she was relieved to be back in Aldea del Fresno, west of Madrid, after the evacuation. A short distance away in Pelayos de la Presa, resident David Rodriguez surveyed the charred remains of his home, saying the property built by his father four decades earlier had been completely destroyed.

Officials said improved overnight weather conditions had enabled firefighters to stabilize the main fire zones. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the coming hours would be decisive in determining whether crews could fully contain the remaining fires.

Across the border in France, authorities in the Gironde region reported a second consecutive calm night, with the large wildfire west of Bordeaux remaining stable despite rising temperatures linked to the country’s fourth heatwave of the summer.

Sophie Brocas, a senior regional official, said continued favorable overnight conditions could improve prospects for bringing the fire under control in the days ahead.

Elsewhere in France, more than 600 people were evacuated after a new wildfire broke out in the Mediterranean region of Var, between Marseille and Nice. The blaze erupted less than a day after another fire in the same region had been contained.

A separate wildfire also ignited in the Burgundy region near the city of Dijon, burning approximately 125 hectares. Local authorities said the fire caused no casualties or damage to residential properties.

The fires come as Europe experiences repeated heatwaves and prolonged drought, conditions that scientists have linked to human-induced climate change. Dry vegetation, following wetter weather earlier in the year, has increased the risk of rapidly spreading wildfires across much of the continent.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, around 207,000 hectares have burned in Spain between January and July this year, among the largest areas recorded during that period, although Spanish authorities have reported slightly different figures.

France has recorded approximately 92,000 hectares burned over the same period, the highest total since records began more than two decades ago.

The European Union has warned that elevated wildfire risks are expected to spread toward central Europe in the coming days as hot and dry conditions persist.

Wildfires were also active elsewhere across southern Europe. Firefighters continued to battle a blaze on the Greek island of Paros, while two firefighters were killed tackling separate fires in Crete and another died near the Peloponnese port of Gytheio. In Türkiye, authorities have evacuated hundreds of people from areas near southern tourist beaches as firefighters worked to contain advancing flames.