France, Spain Brace for New Heatwave as Firefighters Continue to Battle Wildfires

France and Spain are bracing for their fourth major heatwave of the year as wildfires continue to rage in both countries.Temperatures in Bordeaux, France, are forecast to reach a maximum of 36 degrees Celsius (about 96 degrees Fahrenheit) on July 28, according to Meteo France.Castile and León in Spain is also expected to see temperatures as high as 37 degrees Celcius (about 98 degrees Fahrenheit), as emergency services continue their work to extinguish a blaze in the region, Agencia Estatal de Meteorología said.French President Emmanuel Macron, who flew to the Bordeaux area, said on July 27 that the fires are “unprecedented in scale.”“116,000 hectares have burned since the start of this wildfire season, an unprecedented figure and a record since World War II,” he said. “As I speak, the fire has been contained in the Landes, which is good news, but the fight continues. It has been stabilized, as they say, but it remains intense. We must be extremely cautious over the coming hours and days here in the Gironde department.”Fire crews had contained the blaze overnight, but the situation remains difficult, Sen. Nathalie Delattre, who represents Gironde, which includes Bordeaux, told BFM TV on July 28. She added that Gironde has areas “that are not experiencing any problems.”French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a July 27 post on X that France was going through an “unprecedented fire season.”“116,085 hectares have already burned and 13,566 fire outbreaks have been recorded since January. We have already surpassed the record year of 2022 (72,000 hectares burned),” he said.Lecornu added that “the fight against wildfires begins with prevention,” but said that nine out of 10 are “human-caused and most arise from carelessness: a cigarette butt, a barbecue, work carried out without precaution.”This aerial view shows damaged houses in a burnt area in the town of Le Porge, following a wildfire in the Gironde Department, south-western France, on July 27, 2026. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Landes area, southwest of Bordeaux, is covered by pine forests, which become a highly flammable tinderbox when dry, and fire has burned about 42,000 hectares so far, with about 220,000 people, including holidaymakers and local residents, already evacuated.In Biscarrosse, which was hit by a separate wildfire last week, the situation has improved, and some 15,000 evacuated people were being allowed back into the town and a nearby campsite, the local administration said in a July 27 post on X.“However, this development does not mean that the danger has passed. The fire could flare up again, particularly because of weather conditions such as wind and drought, or because of remaining hotspots,” it said.Across the Pyrenees, Spanish President Pedro Sanchez warned Spaniards they could not afford to “lower their guard” in a July 28 post on X.“The coming days will be especially difficult: rising temperatures will make firefighting efforts more challenging and increase the risk of wildfires,” he wrote. “The Government of Spain will continue to mobilize all necessary resources, for as long as needed, until the last flame has been extinguished.”A firefighting airplane drops water on a wildfire near the village of Cebreros, Avila province, Spain, on July 27, 2026. Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty ImagesFirefighters are still battling blazes in the Madrid region and neighboring provinces of Avila and Toledo, according to the Spanish government.View of the San Juan Reservoir after a wildfire in Pelayos de la Presa, Madrid Community, Spain, on July 27, 2026. Oscar Del Pozo/AFP via Getty ImagesAs of July 28, more than 91,000 people have been affected by evacuation or lockdown orders across Spain.