Spain declared a national emergency Friday as catastrophic wildfires, fueled by intense heat and wind, merged outside Madrid and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes in southwestern France. The declaration marks the first time Spain has issued such an alert over a wildfire, enabling federal funding to combat the crisis.
In France, authorities ordered the complete evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist destination on the Atlantic coast, as two major fires converged near Madrid. A third blaze in Spain's Avila province was also nearing the capital's fires, officials reported. The combined fires have strained emergency services in both nations, prompting requests for assistance from the European Union.
"This is the worst wildfire in our region’s history," said Isabel Diaz Ayuso, Madrid's regional leader, attributing the severity to a "perfect storm" of high temperatures and persistent winds. Approximately 63,000 people were directed to evacuate in France, with boats deployed to assist in the exodus from areas like Cap Ferret.
One fire originating in Saumos, north of Cap Ferret, has already consumed 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of forest and destroyed about 50 of the 80 homes it has impacted. Nearby, another large fire threatened residences in Biscarrosse.
In Spain, over 19,000 individuals were ordered to evacuate towns west of Madrid, where more than 2,000 personnel and 10 aircraft are battling the infernos. In one development alone, 43 homes were destroyed. The national emergency declaration aims to improve the coordination of response efforts.
This wildfire season is particularly severe for Spain, which experienced a record area destroyed in the previous year. As of Friday, over 29 major fires had erupted across Spain, impacting an area five times larger than at the same point in 2025, according to Environment Minister Sara Aagesen.
Greece is dispatching two firefighting aircraft to assist Madrid, while Croatia has sent one aircraft and support crews to aid France. The extreme heat wave is also impacting other sectors. In France, warming river temperatures used for cooling nuclear reactors could lead to further output restrictions, with the Golfech 2 reactor already offline due to heat-related issues. Additionally, weeks of hot weather are affecting France's maize crop, a significant contributor to the EU's grain production.