Evacuation of more than a quarter of a million people due to wildfires in Spain and France

Uncontrolled wildfires sweeping through forests in Spain and France have forced the evacuation of approximately 300,000 people, according to authorities in both countries announced yesterday.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stated that 167,000 people had been evacuated in the country due to fires near the city of Bordeaux and the Gironde region in the southwest, as well as 30,000 people in the Landes area, also in the southwest. Nunez announced that forest fires had consumed approximately 98,000 hectares across France since the beginning of the current year, describing the figure as “unprecedented,” and noting that “several fires remain out of control in various parts of the country.”

The year 2026 has broken the record for the largest burned area in France. According to data from satellites belonging to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), France has surpassed the total burned area recorded in 2022, while fires remain out of control in the Gironde and Landes regions. According to the European system, approximately 69,473 hectares had burned in France since the beginning of the year, compared to just over 66,300 hectares in 2022.

For its part, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced that the number of people evacuated due to the fires reached 70,000. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the priority in combating the wildfires surrounding the capital, Madrid, is “saving lives,” warning that extinguishing the flames would be a complex matter.

Speaking to journalists in a village within the fire zone, Sánchez said, “Our priority, our thinking, and our goal is to save your lives and protect populated areas.” He added, “We are facing difficult hours; despite the drop in temperatures, we do not know exactly how the winds will develop or how strong they will be.”

Approximately 63,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes or shelter inside them, according to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, due to a fire that officials described as the worst in the region’s history. Thick gray smoke spread over the western part of the capital, and the smell of the fire reached the streets of central Madrid.

Massive wildfires forced NASA to evacuate one of its three global deep-space communication facilities in Spain, affecting the US agency’s ability to communicate with space probes. The Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex is located in Robledo, approximately 65 kilometers west of central Madrid, according to a NASA spokesperson who told Agence France-Presse in a statement.