Environmental Disasters

Wildfires in France and Spain: the situation is not under control. Southern Italia is at risk

There are over 220,000 displaced people. The situation is stable, but an alert has been in place since 28 July

27 July 2026

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A drone view shows a burnt building in an area affected by wildfire, in Le Porge, Gironde, amongst worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 26, 2026. REUTERS/Manon Cruz REUTERS

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The new heatwave
Displaced people
Situation in Spain
EU: ‘High risk of wildfires in central and southern Italia from early August’

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The wildfire situation in France and Spain “is not under control”. This was stated by a spokesperson for the European Commission, whilst the two countries have been battling the blazes for weeks, forcing over 300,000 people to flee their homes.

“A factor common to both fires,” he explains, “is the complexity and difficulty of extinguishing them. This is because an urban area is affected. This means that the fire is engulfing both residential and industrial areas, putting the national strategy being implemented in the region under severe strain. The priority is to save lives and property, given the seriousness of the situation.” In particular, in France the fire has burnt over 42,000 hectares, in Spain around 80,000. To support these countries in their fight against the fires, the European Union has deployed seven aircraft and four helicopters to France, and a Commission liaison officer is in Bordeaux to assist the national authorities. For Spain, six aircraft and three ground-based forest firefighting teams have been mobilised. The rescue efforts are being supported by satellite imagery from Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation programme.

The new heatwave

The charred trees following the massive fire that has already devastated 42,000 hectares of land to the west of Bordeaux. After several days of unrelenting flames, the situation remained largely stable during the night of 26–27 June, but the authorities fear the arrival of a heatwave that could make matters worse. Météo-France has forecast another likely heatwave from 28 June, with temperatures peaking at 40 degrees Celsius and winds that are slightly weaker but drier.

Incendi in Francia, Gironda devastata: si teme nuovo picco di caldo

Displaced people

In the department of Gironde, in south-western France, the total number of people evacuated has reached over 220,000. Evacuations have been ordered in towns situated to the south-east of the Arcachon basin and near the city of Bordeaux (Marcheprime, Le Barp, Biganos, Mios, Cestas).

Shifting winds and gusts, combined with the drought and extreme heat that have persisted for weeks, have hampered the massive efforts to contain the spread of the huge wildfire that has been raging out of control since the middle of last week.

Insurance companies will cover the costs of rehousing people evacuated due to the fires affecting the departments of Gironde, Landes and Var: this was announced by the French Minister for the Economy, Roland Lescure. This ‘exceptional measure’, agreed with the industry federation France Assureurs, will be valid for up to three weeks – regardless of whether homes have suffered damage – the minister clarified. The northern part of the Arcachon Basin is one of France’s most beautiful and popular landscapes, with its fine sand dunes and endless pine forests, which have been severely affected by the fires.

Spagna, impressionanti immagini da un incendio a Ovest di Madrid

The situation in Spain

Spain’s Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, has stated that from tomorrow the risk of wildfires will be “very high” and that the fourth wave of summer heatwave in Spain. The minister, in an interview with the national radio station RNE, emphasised that the situation regarding the eight fires currently active in the country is “very complex”. “We are talking about at least 153,000 hectares” burnt, “six times more than during the same period last year”, she said, noting that in the case of the blaze affecting the area of Ávila, 50,000 hectares have been destroyed. “It is the largest wildfire in recent history,” he noted.

EU: ‘High risk of wildfires in central and southern Italia from early August’

There is a high risk of wildfires in central and southern Italia from 31 July. This is according to forecasts from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), based on data from the EU’s Copernicus satellite. According to projections based on meteorological models, several areas in Puglia, Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Sardinia and parts of Sicily are expected to be particularly at risk. From early August, the risk will also extend to central Italia, including Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio, Abruzzo and Molise. Later in the week, however, at a European level, the dark red areas on the Copernicus maps cover the whole of inland Spain, Hungary, Slovakia, the part of western Germany bordering Belgium and Luxembourg (North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate) and, above all, Greece, whilst the risk in France appears to be easing for the time being before rising again from early August.