Photo: SEBASTIEN NOGIER / EPA / TASS Wildfire extinguishing, France, July 23, 2026
In France, at least 197,000 people have fled their homes, according to CBS News. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stated that this is the largest peacetime evacuation in the country’s history. According to authorities, nearly 98,000 hectares have been burned since the fires began.
French President Emmanuel Macron has deployed about 1,000 military personnel to the Bordeaux region to assist firefighters. Additional aircraft, helicopters, and an A400M military transport aircraft—which can drop up to 20 metric tons of fire retardant—are also being used to fight the fires.
In Spain, about 70,000 people have been evacuated. One person died in the town of Manises. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who visited the affected areas, said that authorities are focused on evacuating residents and fighting the fires.
According to Sánchez, about 130,000 hectares of forest have burned in the country since the beginning of the year. This exceeds the average for the past ten years, which is about 100,000 hectares per year.
Spain has received firefighting aircraft from Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, and Portugal. France has received aircraft from Croatia and Portugal, as well as helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 254,400 hectares have been burned in European Union countries since the beginning of the year. This is the second-highest figure on record for this period. Southern European countries, where high temperatures have persisted this summer, have been hit hardest by the fires.
