RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesMacron said France was facing its most difficult situation since the Second World War
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Around 4,000 more people have been ordered to evacuate campsites in France ahead of a heatwave expected to hit later today.
The new evacuation orders apply to campsites, tourist residences and leisure parks in the Lacanau Ocean area and both shores of the strip.
More than 360,000 people have been evacuated across France and Spain.
Firefighters in France and Spain face a race against time to bring their raging wildfires under control before heatwave conditions return to the two countries, officials said.
On Tuesday, French meteorological agency Meteo-France placed Gironde and Landes under a yellow heatwave warning starting at noon today. The alert affects more than a dozen departments in the east of France.
Spain's interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska called it an "absolutely crucial" period, with weather forecasters in both countries warning temperatures could reach 40C again in some parts later today.
Spain’s state meteorological agency says the new heatwave will then last until “at least” Sunday, “making firefighting efforts more difficult due to high temperatures [and] locally gusty southerly winds”.
Emmanuel Macron said France was facing its most difficult situation since the Second World War, urging fire crews to “stay strong” as they try to bring the “unprecedented” blaze under control.
Around 4,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as France is to be hit by a heatwave today.
Travel advice has been updated for Spain and France as wildfires rage through both countries .
The UK government is advising people in Spain to avoid travelling through affected areas of Madrid and Avila, while in France, people are being advised to follow the advice of local authorities and check with their accommodation or travel provider before travelling.
The wildfires have forced the evacuation of more than 300,000 people across the two countries and authorities are considering the total evacuation of the city of Bordeaux.
“The fires which are hitting our country have reached a level that has never been seen before ,” French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said.
New data from Save the Children has said that two thirds of children in western Europe were exposed to extreme heatwaves in the first half of 2026.
Firefighters have worked overnight to contain raging blazes across southwestern France.
While the situation appears to have been contained, the situation still remains difficult according to Nathalie Delattre, senator for Gironde which covers the city of Bordeax.
"Everything will depend on how the firefighters on the ground get on," she told BFM TV on Tuesday.
Prince William has released a statement following the wildfires that have taken place across France , Spain and the UK .
The Prince of Wales took to social media on Monday evening to say his thoughts were “with everyone affected” and that he was “deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency services and volunteers working tirelessly in extraordinarily difficult conditions”.
In a post on X, William said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across France, Spain and the UK.
A series of extreme weather events have battered Europe this summer, leading to vast contrasts in the weather across the continent.
In recent weeks, there has seen snow and severe flooding across Greece , while firefighters continue to battle raging wildfires in France and Spain .
In Greece, an atmospheric shift brought a rare dusting of late-July snow to Mount Olympus .
Athens saw torrential rain bring down utility lines and scaffolding, suspending operations of the capital’s suburban rail network.
Emergency services tackling massive wildfires in Spain and France are in a race against time to get the blazes under control before another 40C heatwave hits Europe this week.
In France, flames have burned through an area roughly four times the size of Paris and are now just nine miles outside the country’s sixth-largest city of Bordeaux , with no sign of slowing down. In central Spain, three separate fronts remained active in the mountains northwest of Madrid in the provinces of Madrid, Toledo and Avila.
The crisis is expected to intensify further with temperatures set to hit 40C in Spain and France within days, according to the meteorological agencies of both countries. The soaring temperatures come amid warnings the wildfires in France could burn for weeks, if not months.
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