Spain's interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska warned the country faces a 'complex' situation with 'three very tough days' ahead as temperatures rise and stronger winds risk reigniting wildfires. Speaking to TVE, he described current firefighting progress as 'reasonably positive' but stressed the need for air surveillance to prevent further spread.
Heatwave threatens progress in Gironde and Madrid
Authorities fear that progress containing fires in France's Gironde region and near Madrid could be set back by temperatures expected to hit the low 40s Celsius. In Spain, the Sierra Oeste fire near Madrid has been 'technically stabilised,' according to Grande-Marlaska, though evacuation orders in Ávila province have been lifted.
Two firefighters die in Crete
Two firefighters died battling a forest blaze on the Greek island of Crete, the fire department confirmed. Deputy spokesperson Yiannis Artopios told AFP the men fell in the line of duty. The wildfire raged through a forest in the Rethymno region, prompting evacuations of several villages. State TV ERT reported the men were trapped in their fire engine near the city of Rethymno.
EU pledges solidarity
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen stressed European solidarity on social media, stating, 'As the fires in France and Spain continue to ravage, European solidarity knows no limit. Romania and Greece have decided to extend their missions, and from Saturday, Poland will join the fray.'
New blazes erupt in Spain and France
Authorities evacuated seven towns in Spain's Zamora region after a new blaze escalated to level 2 risk, RTVE reported. In France, a major flare-up near the seaside resort of Lanton was reported, with other flare-ups in Lège-Cap Ferret, according to BFM TV. AFP reported the Lanton fire was brought under control by afternoon.
Poor air quality across affected areas
Large areas of 'very' to 'extremely' poor air quality were visible on the European Environment Agency's monitoring site on Wednesday, particularly in Spain and near Bordeaux. A 2024 study in The Lancet estimated that about 1.5 million people a year die from smoke from landscape fires.
Local accounts of devastation
Jeremie Bossert, a mountain leader in L'Argentière-la-Bessée, southeastern France, said the forest fire near his village started by lightning on July 15. While the fire appears under control, he fears the next heatwave. 'The fear is that with the heatwave that's coming in the next few days and the wind picking up again, it could start spreading again.' Jean-Claude Bonnet, a volunteer helper, told AFP, 'I'm 67 years old and I've never seen anything like this. It's an ecological disaster.'
EU experts call for prevention focus
Moises Galan Santano, a wildfires expert at the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre, stressed the need for prevention. 'The response is not only the answer. It's the last answer. But it's not all the answer. We need to focus on prevention.' A European Commission policy paper earlier this year promoted measures such as more extensive grazing, restoration of wetlands, and better forest management to prevent wildfires expected to become bigger and more damaging.
Other countries face extreme conditions
A wildfire in southwest Turkey forced closure of a highway from Fethiye to Antalya. Five airplanes, 11 helicopters, 40 fire trucks and hundreds of personnel were dispatched. In Hungary, the Paks nuclear power plant shut down one of its four reactors due to record-low water levels on the Danube River. Over half of England has been declared in drought after record-low rain and high temperatures, according to the UK's Environment Agency.
