France orders evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as thousands flee wildfires
Jakub Krupa
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 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.”
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.
Good morning.
Key events
South-east of France also hit by wildfires with 25 houses destroyed
Over in France, it’s not just the south-west that gets affected, but the country’s south-east regions are also being hard hit, AFP noted.
Dozens of fires flared up and are being fanned by the mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac – officials saying around 25 houses had been destroyed since Tuesday.
Over 110,000 hectares of land burned by forest fires in 2026, Spanish authorities say
Sam Jones
in Madrid
In an update issued on Friday morning, Spain’s environment ministry said 114,796.42 hectares of land had been burned by forest fires so far this year, compared with 25,133.26 by the same time last year.
It also said that 29 big forest fires had been recorded so far in 2026. That figure represents a huge increase from the average of nine big forest fires between January and the end of July per year over the past decade.
‘We are living through a dramatic situation,’ Spain’s Sánchez says on wildfires in Spain, France
Sam Jones
in Madrid
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez responded to the wildfires ravaging parts of country and neighbouring France, amid heightened warnings about their further spread.
In a post on X, he said:
“We’re living through a dramatic situation, not just in various Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighbouring countries. Forest fires are devastating thousands of hectares and affecting numerous communities.
“I want to express my deepest solidarity with all those who are watching the fire burn their forests and threaten their homes. The government has deployed all available resources. It will be by your side during the emergency and the recovery. Thank you to the BRIF (Forest Fire Brigades), the UME (Military Emergency Unit), the Security Forces, the Civil Protection System, and all the emergency services that are fighting day and night to stop the advance of the flames and extinguish the fire.”
‘Extreme’ fire danger around Spain as authorities seek help in battling wildfires
Sam Jones
in Madrid
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 (10:53).
Spain requests support through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism as it battles wildfires
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 (9:48).
Russia shoots down drone breaching its airspace, and explosions reported in Kyiv – monitoring
Jakub Krupa
There are also two other emerging news lines in Europe 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”.
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.
Evacuation of Cap Ferret in France – in pictures
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.
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.”
40,000 people ‘evacuated or being evacuated’ in French wildfire in Gironde, minister says
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.
France orders evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as thousands flee wildfires
Jakub Krupa
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 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.”
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.
Good morning.
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