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Here are the main developments related to the wildfires raging in Spain and France on Sunday: 220,000 evacuated from around French fireFrench authorities said that more than 220,000 people have now been evacuated from the main forest fire raging in the southwest of the country that now threatens the city of Bordeaux. Some 55,000 people were ordered to leave villages around Bordeaux in the Gironde region during the night as flames from the wildfire spread.

Some 30,000 people have been evacuated from another wildfire zone in the Landes region farther south while in Spain at least 60,000 people have been forced to flee fires around Madrid. Eight more Spanish towns evacuatedSpanish authorities ordered the evacuation of eight more municipalities near Toledo on Saturday evening as wildfires threatened areas west of Madrid. The interior ministry said residents of Buenaventura, Navamorcuende, Real de San Vicente, Hinojosa de San Vicente, Castillo de Bayuela, Garciotum, Nuno Gomez and Pelahustan were told to leave their homes.

Roads and rail cut by firesWith high winds spreading flames in the giant Gironde wildfire, 60 kilometres (40 miles) of the main A63 highway from Bordeaux to the Spanish border has been closed, regional authorities said. The SNCF rail company said it had also halted train traffic for about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Bordeaux. Megafire burns 42,000 hectaresRegional authorities said Sunday that the Gironde fire in southwest France has now burned 42,000 hectares (103,000 acres) of land, making it one of the country’s biggest devastations of land since World War II.

A 1949 fire devoured some 50,000 hectares. France sends 500 more troopsFrance’s government ordered 500 more soldiers to the wildfire zone in the southwest, bringing the total number deployed to 1,500. The troops will assist with evacuating residents from areas threatened by the fires and help safeguard homes left unattended during the emergency, the defence ministry said.’Difficult’ hours aheadFrench Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu warned late Saturday that “the coming hours could be difficult” battling the fire around Bordeaux after weather forecasts deteriorated.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the blaze would be a long battle and that evacuated residents would not be allowed to return until the fire was contained. Three arrests in GirondeThree men were arrested on Saturday in Gironde — where a wildfire has already scorched 32,000 hectares — on suspicion of endangering lives, prosecutors said. Two of them are accused of setting off fireworks.

Var wildfire still activeAround 2,000 people were still unable to return home in France’s southeastern Var department because of the Ponteves wildfire, which authorities said was still “very active” after burning 4,000 hectares in five days. In Corsica, firefighters were still struggling to contain a blaze near Corte that had spread across more than 800 hectares. One dead in SpainA wildfire in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia killed one person before firefighters brought it under control, authorities there said.  Tour de France shortenedTour de France organisers announced that they were shortening the following day’s final stage of the cycling race due to the wildfires ravaging southwest France.”In a spirit of national solidarity with the areas and communities affected, it was decided to adapt the route for the final stage from Thoiry to Paris,” organisers ASO said in a statement.burs/tw/rmb

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 07:11:07 GMT