Thousands of people have been forced to flee parts of south-west France amid worsening wildfires that prompted the authorities to order people to evacuate from the Cap Ferret peninsula along the Atlantic coast. Evacuees have been told to leave the area before 10am, using hundreds of mobilised boats or the only road linking the area with the mainland.
More than 10,000 hectares are affected by the two concurrent wildfires, which last night crossed the firebreak established by firefighters. The French authorities formally requested the activation of the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism to tap into the bloc’s resources as they battle the fires, with Emmanuel Macron saying the situation remained “very intense.”
The French authorities formally requested the activation of the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism to tap into the bloc’s resources as they battle the fires, with Emmanuel Macron saying the situation remained “very intense.”
The EU’s crisis commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, confirmed that “following France’s activation of the EU’s civil protection mechanism, the EU is providing assistance and deploying 3 water bomber aircraft.”
“following France’s activation of the EU’s civil protection mechanism, the EU is providing assistance and deploying 3 water bomber aircraft.”
Dangerous situation is also unfolding in Spain, with the Spanish government declaring a national emergency over wildfires near Madrid and Avila, forcing more than 10,000 people to evacuate. I will bring you all the updates here. It’s Friday, 24 July 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
How severe is the fire danger in Spain?
On Thursday night, authorities in the Madrid region asked the central government to step in and declare the fires around the region a national emergency. Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, commended the people of the region for their response to the fires and thanked the emergency services for their efforts.
“We remain attentive minute by minute, deeply grateful for the work, solidarity, and patience of everyone,” she said. “As soon as the magnitude of this disaster is known, the Community of Madrid will announce aid and plans to mitigate its consequences.”
In a video posted on social media, the shift commander for Madrid’s emergency medical services urged people to be extra vigilant as the fires continued to burn.
“If people notice smoke or ashes in the air, we recommend that they do not take part in any outdoor activities,” said Ester Armela. “If people have any chronic breathing problems of allergies, they should use facemasks when going outside.” If people developed serious symptoms, she added, people they should ring the 112 emergency line.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, chaired an emergency response meeting at the Moncloa palace on Friday morning as the state meteorological office warned that the danger of more fires remained high.
“Today, the fire danger will remain very high or extreme across most of the territory despite the drop in temperatures,” it said. “Conditions will improve slightly over the weekend, but the danger will rise again in the following days.
Spain’s interior ministry has also requested for fire-fighting aircraft through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism ().
What support is Spain seeking from the EU?
Meanwhile, Spain has also requested the support of four firefighting aircraft through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism, the bloc’s system for coordinating disaster assistance among member states, to help tackle multiple wildfires near Madrid, the interior ministry said. Overnight, France did the same, as reported earlier ().
What else is developing in Europe?
There are also two other emerging news lines in this morning. Romania’s military just shot down a drone breaching its airspace, the country’s president Nicușor Dan said. He said the drone was spotted over an uninhabited area of the country, allowing an F-16 fighter jet to shoot it down “without any risks”.
“without any risks”.
Elsewhere, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv is under a ballistic missile warning with explosions reported across the city, after Ukraine struck warehouses supplying Russian army overnight. I will keep an eye on both of these stories for you.
What is happening in Biscarrosse?
Nuñez also warned about a second fire in Biscarrosse, which he said was also “significant” and “somewhat similar” to the main fire in Gironde since it broke out yesterday afternoon. It has burned over 2,500 hectares, prompting the evacuation of just over 20,000 people, he said.
“significant”
“somewhat similar”
The minister said that the weather conditions were “highly unfavourable,” making it difficult for more than 700 firefighters deployed there to tackle the blaze, and “the fire continues to spread.”
“highly unfavourable,”
“the fire continues to spread.”
How many people have been evacuated in Gironde?
Speaking at a press conference this morning, France’s interior minister Laurent Nuñez said that the largest wildfire in Gironde – which started in Somos, but now moved to the Cap Ferret peninsula – has already burned more than 10,000 hectares.
“As I speak, a total of 40,000 people have been or are currently being evacuated due to this fire,” he said.
Nuñez warned that “the fire is currently not under control and continues to spread,” with around 1,000 firefighters involved in battling the blaze. In total, more than 50,000 hectares have been burned in wildfires since the start of the year.
“the fire is currently not under control and continues to spread,”
More than 50,000 hectares have been burned in wildfires since the start of the year.
What do the evacuations look like on the ground?
Holidaymakers from Lege-Cap-Ferret have been carrying their belongings along the pier as they arrive in Arcachon during the evacuation operation of the entire Cap-Ferret peninsula in southwestern France.
Holidaymakers from Lege-Cap-Ferret have also been disembarking from boats upon their arrival in Arcachon during the evacuation operation of the entire Cap-Ferret peninsula, in southwestern France.
People have also been seen on the beach in Andernos-Les Bains during the fire in the Lege Cap-Ferret forest, southwestern France.
Firefighters have been trying to extinguish fires burning trees using a wildland water truck near Le Porge, southwestern France.
The entrance of the town of Biscarosse, southwestern France, has been left under a sky turned hazy yellowish-grey by the smoke of a wildfire spreading through the surrounding forest.
A French Civil Security Canadair CL-415 aircraft has been spraying water on a forest surrounding Cotignac, southeastern France.
Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit UME personnel have been fighting a wildfire in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Madrid.
A wall of flames has advanced as a wildfire burns near Burgohondo, in Ávila province, Spain.
The French evacuation order for the Cap Ferret peninsula comes as authorities continue to battle the fast-moving blazes on both sides of the border. The situation remains fluid in France and Spain, with emergency services working to contain the fires and officials seeking additional support through the EU mechanism.
