Wildfire Recovery in Spain Meets New Heatwave Threat Across France

ALDEA DEL FRESNO, Spain — Thousands who fled huge wildfires in Spain returned to their homes on Wednesday as French firefighters battled fresh blazes amid a new heatwave gripping the region.

Spain lifted remaining evacuation orders for Avila province and two towns near Madrid. While some evacuees returned to untouched homes, others found only devastation. David Rodriguez, in Pelayos de la Presa, was knocking down the scorched remains of his home. “My dad built it 40 years ago and everything has been lost,” he said.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said better overnight conditions had helped stabilize the fire area, with the coming hours “decisive” in extinguishing remaining flames.

In France, the massive fire near Bordeaux remained stable despite soaring temperatures, but fresh fires erupted in the southeastern Var region, forcing more than 600 people to flee. Another forest fire broke out in the eastern Burgundy region near Dijon, sweeping across 125 hectares without causing casualties or damage to homes.

Across Europe, Spain has lost 207,000 hectares to fire this year, one of the largest January-July totals on record. France has seen 92,000 hectares burned, the largest area in two decades of records. The EU warned that fire-prone conditions would spread toward central Europe in coming days.

Fires in Turkiye have forced evacuations around tourist beaches, while Greek firefighters continue battling blazes on Paros island after three firefighter deaths in Crete and the Peloponnese. Scientists attribute the extreme heat to human-caused climate change.

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