Wildfires continued to spread across parts of Italy, France and Spain on Thursday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate as scorching temperatures and strong winds fuelled the blazes.
The fires have claimed the lives of three firefighters as southern Europe experiences another intense heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.
Scientists have warned that climate change, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels, is increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme weather events such as wildfires and heatwaves.
In Italy, around 6,000 firefighters, forest guards and civil protection personnel battled dozens of wildfires that have burned across Sicily for several days despite the deployment of water-bombing aircraft.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed that a firefighter died after falling ill while responding to the fires.
Italy’s Civil Protection Agency described the situation in Sicily as serious, attributing the rapid spread of the fires to extreme heat and exceptionally dry conditions.
More than 160 wildfires were also reported in the neighbouring Calabria region, where local authorities alleged that many of the incidents were caused by deliberate acts of arson.
Officials accused suspected arsonists of using flammable materials to intentionally spread the fires, although investigations are ongoing.
In France, more than 10,000 tourists were evacuated from campsites and holiday accommodation near Bordeaux after a wildfire swept through a coastal pine forest in Le Porge.
Authorities said the blaze had destroyed about 2,000 hectares of forest since Wednesday.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez met with the families of firefighters, while emergency workers warned they were facing exhaustion and limited resources as they battled the intense fires.
Around 700 residents and more than 3,000 campers were evacuated from Le Porge as a precaution.
Officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, although local authorities suspect it may have been triggered by machinery used for forest maintenance.
In Spain, firefighters made significant progress in containing a major wildfire south of Madrid, allowing most evacuated residents to return to their communities.
The blaze, which erupted near Toledo on Wednesday, forced authorities to evacuate several districts as flames approached residential areas.
However, residents of El Encinar del Alberche in Villa del Prado were advised to remain away from their homes as firefighting operations continued.
Emergency services described overnight efforts as encouraging but cautioned that the fire had not yet been fully stabilised and several roads remained closed.
Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters continued to battle a much larger wildfire in Guadalajara province, north of Madrid, which has burned approximately 32,000 hectares since it started last Thursday.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain lost more than 393,000 hectares of land to wildfires in 2025, marking the country’s worst wildfire season in recent history.
