France and Spain fires force more than 300,000 to flee homes

NPR | By Chandelis Duster

Published July 25, 2026 at 8:05 PM CDT

Firefighters spray water in a burning forest near Lacanau, southwestern France, Saturday, July 25, 2026.

Updated July 26, 2026 at 7:44 AM CDT

Devastating wildfires in Spain and France have forced more than 300,000 people to evacuate their homes.

In France, around 50,000 people were evacuated overnight into Sunday, bringing the total to over 250,000, according to the country's interior minister, Laurent Nuñez.

The most devastating fires are in the Southwest, in the Gironde and Landes regions, French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media Saturday.

The Gironde fire, near the popular tourist destination of Bordeaux, was not contained as of Sunday morning, Nuñez said, adding that 2,500 firefighters are battling the fire, while similar numbers of military and police assist with evacuations.

More than 242,000 acres have been burned in France this year — a historic record — Nuñez said Saturday, according to Politico Europe.

The fires have also affected the Tour de France, the country's annual cycling race, which ends Sunday. The route for the race's final stage was shortened because security and police for the event were reassigned to assist with the fires, organizers said.

In Spain, at least one person from Manises, a town in Valencia, has died from the fires, local officials said.

In a separate fire near the capital, Madrid, about 60,000 people have been evacuated, Spain's Interior Ministry reported on Sunday. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has declared a national state of emergency because of the wildfires. More than 29,000 people have been evacuated from the Madrid area, while more than 20,000 are confined. In the Ávila province northwest of Madrid, more than 25,000 people have been evacuated and more than 8,000 are confined.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a video posted to social media on Saturday that the government is working to provide shelter for those affected by the fires.

Fires have burned over 300,000 acres already this year in Spain, up from an annual average of 250,000 acres over the past decade, Sánchez said.

NPR's Miguel Macias and Robbie Griffiths contributed to this report.