Firefighters continue battling large wildfires across southwest France and central Spain, with authorities warning that a new heatwave will further increase conditions in areas already scorched. In France, blazes focus heavily on the Gironde department, which includes Bordeaux, where officials warn of extreme danger and report large-scale evacuations. One French fire has produced a rare and severe phenomenon, described by firefighters as a pyrocumulonimbus fire cloud that generates its own winds and can create lightning, potentially sparking additional fires.
In Spain, fires are burning in and around central areas near Madrid, and officials say a separate new blaze is under way in Valencia on the country’s east coast. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to visit affected areas there.
Both governments link the worsening situation to exceptionally hot weather and sustained drought-like conditions. French President Emmanuel Macron is set to hold a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday morning to address the emergency, while Spanish authorities continue coordinated firefighting operations and evacuation efforts in affected regions.
