France, Spain wildfires force 267,000 to flee; Macron says, 'We will rebuild'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "France, Spain wildfires force 267,000 to flee; Macron says, 'We will rebuild'")
A picture taken on July 25, 2026 shows a firefighter helicopter dumping water as a wildfire in the mounts threatens to approach the village of Robledo de Chavela, 60 kms west of Madrid. Photograph: (AFP)
Wildfires raging across France and Spain have forced 267,000 people to evacuate as firefighters battle massive blazes and authorities work to contain the destruction.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday (July 25) promised to rebuild areas devastated by wildfires that have swept through parts of southern France and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
"We will rebuild, we will repair, and we will be there for as long as is needed," Macron said in a post on X on Saturday.
Wildfires continued to rage across southwest France and areas near Spain's capital Madrid, forcing nearly 260,000 people to flee their homes and prompting Paris to deploy the military.
France evacuated 197,000 people from areas around Bordeaux, including popular holiday destinations that remain crowded during this time of the year. The interior minister said the evacuation was "probably" the largest peacetime evacuation the country has witnessed.
In Spain, authorities evacuated 60,000 people from villages west of Madrid. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the affected area and said the priority was "to save lives". Officials in Madrid had earlier estimated that around 70,000 people had been evacuated.
A separate wildfire near Valencia in eastern Spain claimed one life before firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control.
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Firefighters in both France and Spain have battled the fires around the clock for several days. However, they have struggled to contain the flames, although authorities said the intensity of some fires had started to decline.
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Satellite images from Spain's Aemet weather agency showed massive smoke clouds from the wildfires in France and Spain beginning to connect in the atmosphere.
Fires across France have already destroyed nearly 98,000 hectares, or 242,000 acres, marking a "historic record", according to Nunez.
In southwest France, the fires have consumed more than 32,000 hectares, an area three times the size of Paris. Authorities said the blazes have also destroyed at least 100 buildings.
Meanwhile, wildfires west of Madrid have burned as much as 25,000 hectares, Spain's interior ministry said.
Two of the three major fires in the region have merged into a single blaze. The combined fire is now threatening to join another blaze and create a massive inferno just kilometres from the Spanish capital.
Macron reaffirmed his commitment to rebuilding the areas affected by the devastating fires.
