Bordeaux, France. France, Spain and Greece battled major wildfires on Thursday as high temperatures, dry vegetation and strong winds fuelled fires, evacuations and disruption across Europe. Three firefighters were killed in Greece, while France arrested two people on suspicion of arson.
France fires
Authorities said a major fire near Bordeaux in southwestern France had not spread overnight, with the burned area remaining at 42,000 hectares.
Two people were arrested on suspicion of starting fires, the local administration said, without providing further details.
The fires have swept through pine forests and forced about 220,000 residents and holidaymakers to evacuate. About 60,000 people have since been allowed to return, while thousands of businesses that had temporarily suspended operations were gradually reopening, officials said.
Conditions around Bordeaux were expected to ease on Thursday, with possible thunderstorms, higher humidity and temperatures below recent peaks. However, an extreme heat warning remained in force in Gironde, the department where Bordeaux is the main city, and authorities said the fires were not over.
Fires in Greece and Spain
Spain was fighting a wildfire in the eastern province of Castellon.
In Greece, firefighters were battling blazes on two fronts that killed three firefighters and forced tourists and residents to flee parts of Crete. At Agia Galini, a coastal resort on Crete’s southern coast, tourists and local residents took shelter overnight in an indoor gym.
“The wind is unbelievable – you can’t stand sometimes. The flames were huge, it was really scary,” resident Chrissa Gioukaki told Reuters.
Heat and wildfire conditions
Emergency crews across Europe have faced repeated heatwaves and fire fronts during a summer marked by dry conditions. European Union countries are experiencing an above-average wildfire season that has already surpassed the record-breaking season of 2025.
According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, Europe recorded temperatures furthest above their historical norm on Thursday. The average high was forecast at 25.3 degrees Celsius, or 77.5 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.6 degrees above the average for 1961 to 1990.
