Summary

  • Thousands of people are ordered to evacuate areas outside Madrid as wildfires continue to burn near the Spanish capital - where are the blazes?

  • Local emergency services have told 7,000 people from the areas of Fresnedillas De La Oliva and Robledo De Chavela to leave their homes - on top of 19,000 already forced to flee three towns west of Madrid

  • Spain has declared a national emergency, with the capital's regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso saying this is "the worst fire in the history of the region"

  • Meanwhile in France, 40,000 people have either been or are in the process of being evacuated from the Cap Ferret peninsula due to another fire

  • Images show hundreds of people escaping the popular tourist spot, west of Bordeaux, by boat

  • Three back to back heatwaves in Europe - the world's fastest warming continent - have exacerbated fire danger in recent weeks, writes BBC Weather's Sarah Keith-Lucas

Live Reporting

Edited by Rorey Bosotti and Imogen James

  1. Analysis

    Back-to-back heatwaves have worsened fire danger in Europe

    Sarah Keith-Lucas
    BBC Weather

    Wildfires are still burning in several parts of Europe, with France, Italy and Spain being the worst affected countries.

    Extreme heat has been gripping places such as Murcia and Sicily over recent days, with temperatures in Sardina rising above 47C.

    Three back-to-back heatwaves in Europe - the world’s fastest warming continent - have exacerbated the fire danger, along with the abundance of dry vegetation.

    A wet winter followed by a sunny spring in western Europe created optimal conditions for vegetation growth in the region.

    Then the recent hot and dry weather has then dried out this vegetation, providing a huge amount of fuel for fires that do ignite.

    The fire danger does improve for some places into the weekend as a couple of cold fronts will work their way into western Europe.

    These front will bring some showers and thunderstorms, initially across northern Spain and Portugal Saturday morning, before spreading across southern France and the western Alps later on Saturday.

    By Sunday, much of Italy, the Balkans and eastern Europe will see some showery rain and a drop in temperature will accompany the rain in many places too.

  2. Weather developments in Landes region 'not really favourable', says prefect

    Prefect of Landes department Gilles Clavreul speaks to the reporters in Biscarosse. He is wearing a blue shirt.Getty Images

    Approximately 23,000 people have been evacuated from the Landes region between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, the region's prefect has said.

    Gilles Clavreul tells the press during an update this afternoon that there is an evacuation under way in Parentis-en-Born and 8,000 people are expected to be moved as a result.

    The region also includes the area near the town of Biscarrosse, which has been affected by the fires - it does not include the fire in Cap Ferret.

    He says 500 firefighters have been deployed, with five having been injured but not severely, and approximately 105 properties have been “affected by the flames” or “even destroyed”.

    The prefect says weather developments are "not really favourable" and some rain is expected, but there have not currently been any victims reported in the civilian population.

  3. Wildfires in Europe: Have you been affected?

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    As fires continue to rage across France and Spain, tens of thousands have been evacuated from homes and holiday resorts.

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  4. Spanish fires lead to renewed evacuation orders - in pictures

    In Spain, wildfires have gripped the country as they edge closer and closer to the capital, with thousands evacuating to safety.

    A helicopter dropping a bucket of water over a huge hillside fireAFP via Getty Images

    Two fires merged on the outskirts of Madrid, with authorities concerned that a third could also merge

    A mother and her daughter walk hand in hand on 24 July 2026 in Burgohondo, Avila, Castile and Leon, Spain.Getty Images

    North of Madrid, in the Ávila region, wildfires have scorched 9,000 hectares as firefighters battle the blaze

    A thick column of smoke near El Castañar de El Tiemblo, on 24 July, 2026 in El Tiemblo, Avila, Castile and Leon, Spain.Getty Images

    On Thursday, the government declared a national emergency for the Madrid region and neighbouring Avila province, which means additional resources can be deployed at speed

  5. Nearly 31,000 acres destroyed by fires in Gironde region, France

    A burned out forest with smoldering and smoke risingAFP via Getty Images

    The forest in Le Porge, southwestern France, shown after the fire had ravaged through the area

    Authorities in the Gironde region in France say the fire in Cap Ferret continues to spread, destroying 12,500 hectares (nearly 31,000 acres).

    The prefect of the Gironde region said in a post on X this was measured as of 14:00 local time (13;00 BST).

    Preventative evacuations are under way in the areas of Arès, Andernos, Le Temple, and Saumos.

    French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said earlier that 40,000 people had been evacuated in Gironde and 23,000 in Landes, as a precautionary measure.

  6. Fires reported in France's Gironde and Landes regions as thousands evacuate

    Earlier on Friday, the entirety of the Cap Ferret peninsula on France's south-west coast was ordered to be evacuated due to ongoing fires in the Gironde region, with local prefect Sophie Broca calling the blaze an "XXL fire".

    Fire and rescue chief Marc Vermeulen said the wildfire on the peninsula had spread rapidly at the end of Thursday and into the early hours of Friday.

    French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 40,000 people had either been or were in the process of being evacuated from the peninsula.

    Further down the coast, near the town of Biscarrosse in the Landes region of France, another major fire began on Thursday afternoon.

    Landes prefect Gilles Clavreul said the fire was not going to be out by the end of Friday, with winds of up to 50km/h (31mph) and temperatures of 36-37C.

    About 18,000 people in Biscarrosse and 5,000 in Parentis-en-Born had to leave their homes, campsites, a nursing home and a summer camp.

    Split-panel graphic showing active wildfires in south-west France near Bordeux. The left panel is a map of the Arcachon Bay region, with red clusters marking fires recorded in the last 24 hours. The largest concentration lies between Lège-Cap-Ferret and Le Porge on the Atlantic coast, with a smaller cluster near Biscarrosse to the south. Bordeaux is labelled to the east. The right panel is a closer-in satellite image of the Arcachon Bay area. A dense band of red dots labelled “Active fires” stretches along the coastal forest north of Lège-Cap-Ferret, close to the D106 road. Arcachon and the Port of Arcachon are labelled on the southern side of the bay. Source: NASA FIRMS data as of 24 July

  7. Dozens of helicopters, buses, amphibious vessels deployed to Spanish fires

    A helicopter carrying a large water bucket is shown flowing nearby a blazing forest fire on a hill, with smoke billowing across the area.Getty Images

    A helicopter assists with fire-fighting efforts near El Castañar de El Tiemblo

    Dozens of fire-fighting helicopters and other craft are being deployed across Spain as crews battle spreading flames.

    The latest update from Spanish officials says reinforcements include 11 helicopters, 12 amphibious vessels, and eight forest brigades.

    There are also coordination aircraft and support units in place, it adds.

    The majority are in action near Burgohondo and San Martín de Valdeiglesias, west of Madrid, and in Ejulve, roughly halfway between Madrid and Barcelona.

    Madrid authorities also posted that they had made eight buses available for evacuations to centres set up in Móstoles, in the city's south-west, and to the nearby air base at Getafe.

  8. Where are the Spanish fires?

    The largest fires burning near Madrid are to the west of the city.

    Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska declared a national emergency on Thursday as fires burned at Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias in the Madrid region and nearby at Burgohondo in Ávila.

    The areas of Fresnedillas De La Oliva and Robledo De Chavela have now been ordered to evacuate as the fires continue to burn, meaning approximately 7,000 more people are set to leave their homes.

    Local emergency services said earlier on Friday that the Madrid fires had merged, while more than 19,000 people had been evacuated from their homes in three towns west of the capital.

    Map of central Spain showing active wildfires recorded in the last 24 hours. Red dots and clusters mark fire locations, with the largest concentrations west of Madrid near Burgohondo and Almorox, both labelled. Madrid is labelled near the centre of the map. An inset map of Spain in the upper left highlights the region’s location. The legend indicates that red marks represent Active fires in last 24 hours. Source: Nasa Firms data as of 24 July.

  9. Thousands more ordered to evacuate in Spain as wildfires burn across Europe

    Huge plume of smoke due to fire on the horizon in a woody part of SpainGetty Images

    A thick column of smoke in El Tiemblo, Avila, in Spain as thousands are forced to evacuate

    Tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate across Europe as multiple wildfires continue to burn, spurred on by the back-to-back heatwaves that have taken place on the continent.

    In Spain, more towns near the capital of Madrid have been ordered to evacuate, as tens of thousands have already begun or completed the process as wildfires continue to burn - they were out of control on Thursday.

    Two wildfires near the capital merged earlier today, while authorities believe they could form an even bigger blaze with a fire in the neighbouring Avila province.

    The Spanish Ministry of the Interior says in a post on X that Fresnedillas de la Oliva and Robledo de Chavela are the newest towns to be evacuated.

    Meanwhile, tourists and residents have been evacuated from the entirety of the Cap Ferret peninsula in the southwest of France, with hundreds escaping by boat.

    The fires there, which began on Tuesday, have burned for days, with officials saying 12,500 hectares (more than 30,000 acres) had been consumed by flames.

    Meanwhile, in Italy thousands of emergency responders have been working to contain fires, and authorities have paid tribute to a firefighter who died tackling a wildfire in Sicily.

    This is a developing story and we will bring you the latest updates and analysis throughout.