A wildfire in south-western France has come within 15km (nine miles) of Bordeaux, prompting the city's mayor to warn he is preparing for "all eventualities", including further mass evacuations. French officials have described the situation as "unprecedented", with the interior minister saying the fire "has a life of its own", while the prime minister called it part of an unprecedented fire season for the country. The crisis comes as neighbouring Spain also battles severe, uncontrolled wildfires, underscoring a wider pattern of intensifying blazes across southern Europe this summer.

Around 220,000 people have been evacuated in France, including 17,000 residents of Cestas overnight, with 42,000 hectares burned and 240 houses destroyed in Gironde alone; nationally, 116,085 hectares have burned since January across 13,566 fire starts, and 162 arrests have been made over deliberately set fires. President Emmanuel Macron is visiting affected areas, while further fires burn in Var, Landes and Corsica. In Spain, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated and a national emergency declared for a fifth day, with satellite imagery showing over 27,000 hectares burned west of Madrid; scientists point to climate change driving faster warming in Europe as a key factor behind the intensifying wildfires.