Tens of thousands flee out-of-control wildfires across Spain and France
Tens of thousands of people in Spain and France have been ordered to leave their homes as wildfires burn out of control during a severe summer heatwave, De Standaard and international agencies report.
In 30 seconds
- Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated in Spain and France as wildfires burn out of control, according to De Standaard.
- Spain's worst fires are in the north-west, around Galicia and Castilla y León.
- Southern France has seen further mass evacuations of residents and holidaymakers.
- A prolonged summer heatwave, drought and strong winds are driving the fires.
The story concerns simultaneous large-scale wildfires in Spain (chiefly Galicia and Castilla y León in the north-west) and southern France during a summer heatwave. Key actors include Spain's civil-protection and regional authorities, France's prefectures and Sécurité Civile, and the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre, which coordinates the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and its rescEU firefighting reserve. De Standaard is the seed report; Reuters, AP, RTVE and French outlets corroborate the broad picture.
Background
Southern Europe has faced escalating wildfire seasons for years, with record-breaking heat and drought driving major fires across Spain, Portugal, Greece and France. France's 2025 season included one of its largest fires in decades in the Aude department. The EU created the rescEU firefighting reserve after the deadly 2017 fires in Portugal to pool aircraft and crews, reflecting how national services increasingly cannot cope alone.
What to do
Travellers in or heading to affected parts of Spain and France should monitor local emergency instructions, expect road and rail disruption, and check official advice from Belgian and local authorities before travelling.
EvidenceWell established · 1 primary source + 1 official document + 2 independent reporting sourcesExplore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
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This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.