Spanish authorities have allowed thousands of people evacuated because of wildfires in the Toledo, Madrid, Ávila and Castellón areas to return home, as some blazes stabilise. However, both Spain and France are bracing for a fourth heatwave of the summer, with fire officials warning that higher temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds could reignite fires or spark new ones, particularly around the town of Burgohondo west of Madrid.

In the Madrid region alone, 24,000 people have been cleared to return home and lockdowns lifted for a further 20,000. The Burgohondo fire in Ávila province, which has burned more than 43,000 hectares and forced 40,000 people from their homes, is now considered the largest wildfire in Spanish history, with a 180km perimeter that firefighters are working to stabilise. In south-west France, major fires in the Gironde region remain "stabilised" despite flare-ups, though 16 departments are under orange heatwave alert with temperatures forecast up to 41C, prompting special protective measures at defence and aerospace sites. Separately, a woman badly burned in an earlier fire in Almería has died, bringing that fire's death toll to 14.