France, Spain race to contain fires before new heatwave
France and Spain are battling severe wildfires as they prepare for a fourth summer heatwave. While authorities in Spain express cautious optimism, French firefighters continue to struggle against the largest fires in the region since 1949.
Why it matters
The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe highlight the escalating impact of climate change on public safety and infrastructure.
France has evacuated 4,000 more people in the face of a giant wildfire as it braced for worsening conditions, while Spain's premier said there was "light at the end of the tunnel" for his country's own fight.
Firefighters in France and Spain were battling to contain the worst wildfires in living memory before the arrival of a fourth heatwave of the summer brings scorching temperatures.
Flames have torn through vast swathes of forest in both countries, incinerating properties and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
Marielle Mourgeon was among some 4,000 people forced to cut their holidays short in the seaside village of Lacanau, near Bordeaux, after authorities ordered them to evacuate camping sites as a precautionary measure.
"At first I thought my husband was joking, with the blue sky and the fires dying down," she said.
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