Wildfires are burning across southern Europe, prompting large-scale evacuations and disrupting the Tour de France. Multiple outlets report that thousands of people are forced to leave their homes as firefighters tackle active blazes in countries including Portugal, Spain, France and Greece. In Portugal and Spain, the fires are being driven by difficult conditions, while in France and Greece officials report continued firefighting efforts amid high fire risk.
In France, authorities also take action around the Tour de France cycle race, banning spectators from a stage of the event due to nearby wildfire danger. The reporting links the disruption to the wider situation created by a record-breaking early summer heatwave, described by officials as creating “powder keg” conditions. One source notes that strong winds are forecast to worsen fire behavior and that temperatures are expected to rise again later in the week.
Firefighters are deployed across affected regions as burns cover tens of thousands of hectares, with reporting citing nearly 20,000 hectares already affected across the region. Authorities continue to warn of escalating conditions as weather changes.
