Image@ BBC
Thousands of residents and holidaymakers have been forced to flee south-western France as raging wildfires continue to spread across the region, while emergency crews in Italy and Spain remain locked in similar battles against devastating blazes fuelled by extreme heat.
French authorities said about 12,000 people had been evacuated from the Gironde department, where flames have scorched more than 2,000 hectares of vegetation.
Officials also imposed restrictions on the use of both fuel-powered and electric engines in heavily wooded areas, while several roads were shut to reduce the risk of additional fires and support firefighting operations.
No casualties were reported on Thursday.
According to French reports, roughly 10,000 of those evacuated were tourists.
The Gironde department remains under its highest wildfire warning, prompting officials to close several recreational sites located within vulnerable forest zones.
The emergency follows the deaths earlier this week of two firefighters near Bordeaux Airport while responding to a separate wildfire.
France has since honoured the fallen responders, with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez leading a memorial ceremony on Wednesday.
He described the occasion as deeply emotional and extended the nation’s gratitude and condolences to the victims’ families.
In neighbouring Italy, authorities are mourning another firefighter killed while combating a wildfire in San Cataldo, Sicily.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi paid tribute to firefighter Alessandro Marchi, describing his death as a sacrifice made in service to the public.
Sicily’s regional president, Renato Schifani, also expressed support for another firefighter injured during the same emergency, wishing the officer a swift recovery.
The head of Sicily’s Civil Protection agency, Salvo Cocina, disclosed that more than 350 fires had erupted across the island, including at least 10 major incidents that triggered precautionary evacuations.
He attributed the outbreaks largely to human activity and warned that deliberate fire-setting has become a serious public safety concern.
Spain is also facing dangerous wildfire conditions.
Although many residents evacuated from areas around Madrid were allowed to return home overnight, authorities maintained restrictions in Villa del Prado, where firefighters continued efforts to contain an active blaze.
Emergency responders deployed nearly 90 personnel alongside a helicopter to tackle the flames.
Officials said crews launched an aggressive ground operation to prevent the fire from spreading further, while regional authorities continued to warn of an extremely high wildfire threat.
Spain’s national weather agency, AEMET, forecast temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday, conditions expected to increase the risk of fresh outbreaks.
The latest emergencies come amid a summer marked by persistent heatwaves across Europe.
Climate experts have warned that rising temperatures are contributing to increasingly severe wildfire seasons.
A study published in April by the Copernicus Climate Change Service found that more than 95 percent of Europe recorded above-average temperatures in 2025, reinforcing the continent’s status as the world’s fastest-warming region.
The report also noted that both the total area destroyed by wildfires and fire-related carbon emissions reached unprecedented levels last year.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong