Additional Coverage:
Wildfires continue to wreak havoc across southern Europe, claiming the lives of three firefighters and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes in France, Italy, and Spain.
In France, two firefighters tragically lost their lives Tuesday while battling a blaze in a suburb of Bordeaux. Meanwhile, a separate wildfire west of Bordeaux has burned nearly 6,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for 10,000 residents.
The Gironde regional government imposed bans on internal combustion and electric engines along with road closures as around 500 firefighters work to contain the fire, which began Wednesday in the town of Saumo. Firefighting aircraft are also en route to assist.
So far, no injuries have been reported in this incident.
The Var department on the French Riviera, situated between Marseille and Nice, has suffered extensive damage with thousands of acres consumed by flames. Residents evacuated earlier this week were allowed to return Thursday under strict guidelines, as windy conditions continue to threaten flare-ups. Meteo-France has issued red alerts for forest fires across multiple departments in southern France.
Italy is grappling with a deadly wildfire on Sicily, where one firefighter was killed and another injured Wednesday while combating a major blaze in the southwest near San Cataldo. The Sicilian Civil Protection chief, Salvo Cocina, reported at least ten significant fires prompting precautionary evacuations.
Approximately 6,000 personnel, including firefighters and civil protection agents, have been deployed. The most critical fires are concentrated in Casaboli, Bivona, Alimena, San Cataldo, Galati Mamertino, parts of Madonie Park, and the Syracuse area.
In Spain, the Civil Guard is actively evacuating residents from areas southwest of Madrid between Almorox and Villa del Prado as wildfires rage. This comes on the heels of a massive fire in Guadalajara province that began July 16 and has destroyed nearly 80,000 acres, as well as a fatal blaze in Almeria province earlier this month that claimed at least 11 lives.
Across the European Union, wildfires have scorched over 628,000 acres so far in 2026, according to the European Forest Fires Information System. Although this is slightly less than the 668,000 acres burned during the same period last year, the ongoing fires underscore the continuing threat posed by extreme weather and dry conditions throughout the region.