Three firefighters have died and thousands of people have been moved from their homes as wildfires tore through parts of France, Italy and Spain during a week of intense heat.
In southwestern France, authorities said more than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight from the Gironde department after a blaze burned through more than 2,000 hectares. The fire began on Wednesday in Saumos and moved southwest toward Le Porge and Lège-Cap-Ferret.
By Thursday morning, 500 firefighters were working on the Gironde blaze, with aircraft reinforcements expected. Two firefighters were killed on Tuesday while tackling flames in Mérignac, a suburb of Bordeaux.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he met their families and colleagues on Wednesday. “On behalf of the president of the Republic, the government and the entire nation, which owes them so much, I expressed our boundless gratitude and our unwavering support,” he wrote.
France’s weather agency kept several southern departments under red forest-fire alerts on Thursday.
In Sicily, regional officials said about 6,000 emergency responders, including firefighters, forest guards and civil protection officers, had been mobilised. The regional government said 300 of 344 reported fires on the island had been put out by Wednesday.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said firefighter Alessandro Marchi died while responding to a fire in San Cataldo. “He lost his life whilst carrying out his duty, in the service of the community,” Piantedosi said.
Spain was also fighting fires near Madrid. A large blaze was declared between Almorox and Villa del Prado, where Civil Guard footage showed officers evacuating residents door to door.
European Forest Fires Information System data show about 254,388 hectares have burned across the EU so far in 2026, above the long-term average but below the same point in 2025.
