Three firefighters died fighting the fires. Southern Europe is experiencing a period of extremely hot weather, with air temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in some areas.
Although 2026 is only halfway through, according to European satellite data from the “Effis” system, analyzed by news agency AFP, this season is already the second largest in terms of burned area in the European Union (EU) in the last 20 years.
“In the afternoon, we saw a huge cloud of black smoke in the sky,” said Julie Leonard, a thirty-year-old resident of Bordeaux, who had to seek shelter due to a large fire near Le Porge in Southwestern France.
In Sicily, about 6,000 firefighters, forest protection workers, and civil defense officials have been battling dozens of fires for several days, despite the deployment of special aviation.
The Interior Minister announced that one firefighter died after falling ill during firefighting operations.
A spokesperson for Italy’s civil protection agency told AFP that the situation in Sicily is serious, and the fires are “fueled by very high temperatures and extremely dry land.”
More than 160 fires have been recorded in the neighboring Calabria region. The local civil protection chief blames arsonists, who are suspected of tying rags soaked in flammable liquid to the tails of stray cats to spread the flames.
In France, on Thursday, more than 10,000 tourists were evacuated from campsites and other recreational areas near Bordeaux, where a fire devastated a coastal pine forest.
According to officials, the fire in Le Porge has burned 2,400 hectares since Wednesday.
Although no homes were damaged and there were no casualties, two firefighters died on Tuesday while fighting another fire near Bordeaux airport.
“It’s a very dense pine forest here,” said firefighter captain Wilfried Schneider to AFP, describing the fire of rare intensity.
“No Chance”
“If I had been brave, I would have stayed in my cottage, but it was too hot. I got in the car and left,” said 75-year-old Bernard Roche, who has lived in the area for 35 years.
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Le Porge mayor Martial Zaninetti stated that the fire was likely caused by a brush clearing machine, but police are still investigating the circumstances of the incident.
AFP journalists reported that the sky over Le Porge turned orange, smoke rose from charred pines, and helicopters constantly flew over the evacuated areas.
In 2022, fires in the same forest devastated an area of 30,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of about 50,000 people.
A study published on Thursday by climatologists from the “World Weather Attribution” group states that fires are increasing faster as climate change, caused by the burning of oil, coal, and gas, increases droughts in Europe.
Meanwhile, in Spain, progress in extinguishing a large fire south of Madrid allowed most residents to return home, emergency services reported on Thursday.
A fire that broke out near the city of Toledo on Wednesday forced officials to evacuate several areas as flames approached homes. Residents of the village of El Ensinar del Alberche are still advised not to return.
Firefighters assessed their efforts last night as very positive, although the fire is not yet under control and several roads remain closed.
However, hundreds of firefighters are still battling a much larger fire in Guadalajara province, north of Madrid, where about 32,000 hectares have burned since last Thursday.
“Climate change is what kills, what destroys our villages and our natural and cultural heritage,” said civil protection chief Virginia Barcones to Spanish radio. She warned that some fires become so intense that even with the deployment of aviation and ground forces, firefighters have “no chance.”
V. Barcones stated that conditions at the Guadalajara fire site are improving, but warned of strong winds and extreme heat later on Thursday.
Madrid’s emergency services also warned of extreme fire risk as Spain experiences the last day of its heatwave. Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET reported that temperatures are expected to drop slightly over the weekend and then rise again.
