Forest fires continue to burn in Spain, France and Italy, prompting tens of thousands of people to evacuate on Thursday.
The fires come as Europe braces for another heatwave, with temperatures expected to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.
So far in 2026, wildfires burned more land in Europe This is higher than the annual average for the past 20 years.
Climate change is making extreme weather events such as heat waves and associated forest fires more frequent and severe.
Wildfires in southern Europe cause mass evacuations
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Spain declares national emergency in Madrid region
To better deal with wildfires that have gotten out of control, Spain late Thursday declared a state of national emergency in the Madrid region and the province of Ávila near the capital.
The measures are aimed at accelerating the deployment of resources to fight the fires, which have forced the evacuation of around 10,000 people in the region.
The decision means that crisis response will be transferred to the Spanish military’s emergency forces, which specialize in disaster relief.
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez posted on X that “the government has committed all resources to stop the terrible fires that are currently affecting many regions, including Ávila, León, Toledo, Madrid and other regions of Spain.”
Sánchez also visited the area of Guadalajara, northeast of Madrid, where a fire broke out and more than 30 villages were evacuated.
“Each year we see clearly how climate change is killing and destroying the wealth of our communities,” he said. “This isn’t politics. This is science and it’s about facts.”
France calls for EU national protection mechanism
Across the border, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country had activated the EU’s civil protection mechanism to seek help in fighting the forest fires.
“Support will soon be received from Black Hawks: two Canadian Canadair aircraft from Croatia, two Air Tractors from Portugal, and two heavy-lift helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” Macron wrote on X early Friday morning.
Authorities on Thursday evacuated 7,000 people north of Cap Ferret, near the tourist hub of Arcachon Bay, “as a precautionary measure”, bringing the total number of evacuees in the region to 12,000.
Officials said Wednesday that the fire had damaged about 2,000 hectares (about 5,000 acres).
French authorities say firefighters are fighting “house to house” to protect the tourist hub of Les Reges-Cap-Ferret.Image: Julien De Rosa/AFP
Italian authorities condemn ‘malicious’ arsonists
Around 6,000 firefighters, forest rangers and civil protection workers have been deployed across Sicily as the fires have been burning for several days.
Regional president Renato Sifani said around 50 fires were still burning despite the deployment of water bombers.
More than 160 fires have been recorded in Calabria, mainland Italy.
Local authorities in Calabria have charged a “malicious person” with arson after they say he caused the fire to spread by tying a rag soaked in a flammable liquid to the tail of a stray cat.
Editing: Dmytro Hubenko, Carl Sexton
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