Tens of thousands of people were evacuated as severe wildfires spread through south-west France and the area west of Madrid, prompting Spain to declare its first national wildfire emergency. The crisis matters because extreme heat and persistent winds have created dangerous, dry conditions across Europe, overwhelming emergency services and threatening homes, tourist areas and transport routes.

In France, around 63,000 people were ordered to leave, including the entire Cap Ferret peninsula, with boats used to assist evacuations; a fire near Saumos had burned 10,000 hectares and destroyed about 50 homes. In Spain, more than 19,000 people were told to leave towns west of Madrid as two fires merged and a third threatened to join them, despite more than 2,000 personnel and 10 aircraft being deployed; both countries requested EU assistance.