The fires have claimed the lives of three people involved in firefighting efforts in France, Italy, and Spain.
On the Italian island of Sicily, temperatures climbed above 40°C, while hot, dry winds continued to fuel wildfires that have been burning across the region for several days.
More than 6,000 firefighters, forest rangers, and emergency responders have been deployed to battle the blazes, supported by water-dropping aircraft. Authorities say 50 wildfires are currently active across the island.
Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said one firefighter died after suffering a medical emergency while responding to the fires.
In the neighboring Calabria region, more than 160 wildfires have been recorded. Authorities allege many were deliberately started by arsonists. They claim some suspects tied flammable materials to the tails of stray cats in an attempt to spread the fires.
In France, two firefighters were killed on Tuesday while battling a wildfire near Bordeaux Airport.
Two major fires have forced thousands of residents to flee their homes in southwestern France.
One blaze has scorched more than 1,400 hectares in the Arcachon Basin nature reserve near Bordeaux.
Authorities said 700 residents were evacuated from the commune of Le Porge, while more than 3,000 people staying at holiday campsites were also relocated.
Another wildfire spread rapidly through forested hills in southern France, forcing hundreds more residents to evacuate and burning vast areas of land.
The fire broke out on Tuesday in the Var region and quickly intensified. It prompted the evacuation of around 400 people and destroyed approximately 2,550 hectares.
Nearly 1,000 firefighters and specialized water-bombing aircraft were deployed to contain the blaze along the Mediterranean coast between Marseille and Nice.
Overall, about 4,600 people have been evacuated in France, while Gironde Prefect Sophie Brocas urged hundreds more residents to leave their homes as a precaution.
In Spain, authorities on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of residents from several communities around the city of Toledo, about 75 kilometers southwest of Madrid, after a major wildfire approached residential areas.
Emergency alerts were sent to residents’ mobile phones warning them about the advancing fire, while several major highways were closed.
Emergency officials said the fire’s rapid spread forced evacuations in three villages, while residents in nearby communities were instructed to remain indoors, keeping doors and windows closed until further notice.
The new wildfire erupted as hundreds of firefighters were already battling another massive blaze that has burned 32,000 hectares roughly 100 kilometers north of Madrid.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) reported that in 2025, wildfires burned more than 393,000 hectares in Spain—the largest area ever recorded in the country.
