France wildfire forces thousands to flee as tinder box conditions persist in warming Europe

LEGE-CAP FERRET, France, July 23 - A fast-moving wildfire has forced more than 10,000 people from homes and campsites near France's Atlantic coast, as extreme heat and deepening drought fuelled fires across Europe and scientists warned climate change was worsening the continent's water shortages.

Across Europe, three heatwaves in succession this season have intensified drought, strained water supplies and left vegetation tinder-dry, helping wildfires scorch more land already this year than the annual average of the past two decades on the world's fastest-warming continent. It has also been blamed for thousands of deaths.

More than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight in southwestern France as a rapidly spreading wildfire ripped through 2,000 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux, officials said on Thursday.

Five hundred firefighters are battling to control the blaze, the prefecture said, adding that no one had been injured so far.

The wildfire is located near the Arcachon Bay area, a tourist hotspot, and many of those evacuated are visitors staying in camping sites. "Overnight, the fire spread more quickly than we had imagined," said Philippe de Gonneville, the mayor of Lège-Cap Ferret.

In neighbouring Spain, authorities were still working to put out fires which have raged for several days, while in Italy, a 59-year-old firefighter died after falling ill while battling a large wildfire near San Cataldo in Sicily.

CONTINGENCY EVACUATION PLANS

The Cap Ferret peninsula, often likened to the upscale Hamptons in the United States, is home to some of France's expensive properties, where wealthy Parisians and Bordelais come to sip white wine and feast on oysters.

Lège is the only one of the peninsula's 11 villages that is currently threatened by the fire, but Gonneville said authorities had evacuated 5,200 people overnight. He said access was completely closed, and contingency plans were in place to evacuate the entire peninsula by both road and sea if necessary.

The fire began near the town of Saumos about 15 km from Lège-Cap Ferret, but had now reached the edge of Lège, forcing the evacuation of several campgrounds and neighborhoods close to the forest.

Wildfires remained a major challenge across Spain on Thursday, with authorities continuing to tackle several significant blazes amid high temperatures and adverse conditions.

Across central Spain, firefighters, emergency personnel and military units remained deployed as authorities monitored multiple active fires, including blazes in Guadalajara, Toledo, Ciudad Real and Albacete. More than 100,000 hectares have burned nationwide so far this year.

Over 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe and Britain in the last two record-breaking heatwaves in May and late June, with scientists saying the only credible reason for the unusually high toll was heat-related. Belgium on Thursday said June 27 - during its heatwave last month - was the country's second deadliest day of the 21st century, with 650 deaths.

Europe is bearing the brunt of a rapidly warming climate, with temperatures rising more than twice as fast as the global average. The Reuters Climate Monitor, an interactive tool tracking weather patterns, showed the average high across Western Europe is forecast to be 26.5°Celsius on Thursday, which is +2.9° above the normal high for July 23 from 1961-1990.

DROUGHT SAPPING WATER

Numerous European countries are suffering drought conditions this summer. France fears it may have its smallest maize crop in 50 years, Romania has restricted farmers' access to water for irrigation while the Netherlands declared a water shortage. Hosepipe bans were introduced in London and seven Greek islands have declared emergencies to preserve water.

In a report issued Thursday, scientists said the findings indicate that climate change is altering the way droughts form in Europe. The analysis, by the World Weather Attribution group of climate scientists, said extreme heat was accelerating how much water evaporates out of soils.

But the challenges are also prompting people to think outside the box. In Spain's northwestern Galicia region communities have reintroduced native livestock to rebalance ecosystems and reduce wildfires in an area that was at the epicentre of the country's worst year for fires in 2025. One particular species of cattle, the nimble Cachena known locally as a 'goat-cow', has now been deployed to munch its way through undergrowth, a powder keg for fires. REUTERS