Published On 7/6/2026
Europe is battling an intense and early fire season this year in the south of the continent, as southern France, Spain, Portugal and Greece witnessed fires accompanied by a new heat wave.
In France, a fire that broke out on Saturday evening in an inaccessible mountain range near Mont Canigo (southwest of the country) has consumed about 4,600 hectares so far, in which a firefighter and a resident were injured.
The fires in southwestern France led to the evacuation of 10,000 people from 24 small towns and villages near the Spanish border, and officials said that strong winds on Monday would fan the flames further.
About 700 firefighters, 200 ground vehicles, and about 10 air means are participating in fighting this fire.
It is expected that 16 departments in southern and western France will be on alert level orange on Monday, with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius.
Two other, less extensive fires broke out in southern and central-western France.
The Fire Authority stated that most of the fires are caused by human activity, but the recurrence of heat waves and drought under the influence of climate change exacerbates them.
The governor of the region, Pierre Renaud de la Motte, said in a post on the X platform that the fire had destroyed about 4,600 hectares in the foothills of the French Pyrenees.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned on French television channel TF1, saying: “Conditions are deteriorating again this morning… The battle will resume today.”
Heat waves in France and Western Europe in the early summer during May and June led to the drying out of vast areas of land, making them vulnerable to forest fires.
A fire is burning in an area near the site of the third stage of the Tour de France. Local authorities closed the place to the public to enable emergency services to easily reach the area. The race will continue, but the accompanying convoy of cars will be kept to a minimum.
In Spain, a fire broke out on Friday near the Costa Brava tourist area, destroying 2,200 hectares of forest and agricultural areas, 97% of which was in the Las Gavares Reserve. It became “stable” on Sunday, according to the fire department, which said it would be completely extinguished within the week.
The authorities lifted the closure and curfew measures imposed on about 10 municipalities around La Bisbal d’Amburda near Girona, about 20 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast, and allowed residents to return to their homes.
The fire was likely caused by “negligence”, and the authorities stated that they had detained a person for investigation. Spanish media indicated that a worker likely used a cutting machine in a restricted area.
In northern Portugal, a large forest fire has been burning for 4 days in Vozela, within the province of Viseu. It destroyed at least 13,000 hectares of vegetation, but “the situation is developing positively,” according to the authorities, who indicated that about 80% of the fire had been controlled yesterday, Sunday.
In Greece, the authorities warned of a “very high” risk of fires breaking out due to high temperatures and strong winds, and firefighters continue to fight flames in two factories in the major city of Thessaloniki (northeast of the country), after they were able to extinguish a forest fire.
The Civil Defense and Fire Service reported that a total of 60 fires broke out in just 24 hours across the country, but most of them were quickly extinguished.
