France braces for fresh evacuations as Spain eases wildfire restrictions

An aircraft drops water to extinguish a wildfire near Onda, one of the towns affected by the forest fire in Castellon, Spain. (EPA Images pic)GENEVA: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that another forecast heatwave could worsen wildfires across Spain and France, where emergency teams are responding to fast-moving blazes and thousands of people have been forced from their homes, Anadolu Ajansi reported.The federation said in a statement that the humanitarian situation in both countries remains "highly volatile" as fires continue to spread, with evacuations ongoing and emergency shelters and support services under increasing strain."The wildfires are not happening in isolation – they come after months of extreme heat and drought," the IFRC said, noting that repeated heatwaves since late spring have dried out vegetation and soil, creating conditions that allow flames to spread rapidly."This is the pattern we are seeing more and more across Europe: heatwaves, drought and wildfires feeding into one another, and communities bearing the consequences," said Maria Alcazar Castilla, IFRC Deputy Regional Director for Europe.She said the Red Cross is responding to the immediate emergency but stressed that sustained investment in preparedness and climate adaptation is needed to help communities better withstand future shocks.The Spanish Red Cross has mobilised 690 staff and volunteers, supported by 125 vehicles and 27 ambulances, to assist communities affected by fires around Madrid, Avila, Toledo and Castellon, according to the statement. It has opened 78 emergency shelters that have hosted more than 4,400 people.In France, the French Red Cross has deployed more than 300 volunteers from over 60 local branches to support evacuations, provide emergency accommodation and distribute essential relief items, while also preparing longer-term assistance for people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed.

Residents began returning to fire-ravaged communities west of Madrid after officials lifted some evacuation orders, while authorities in southwestern France warned a looming heatwave could reignite major blazes and force thousands more from their homes. Firefighters raced on Tuesday to subdue huge wildfires that have forced unprecedented evacuations of tens of thousands of people across France and Spain, as Western Europe braced for another heatwave. The fires have torn through a region already battered by a blisteringly hot and dry summer.

Crews were seeking to capitalise on more favourable weather before a new wave of higher temperatures settled in from Wednesday. In the Bordeaux region of France, firefighters contained the forest blaze overnight, while in Spain, authorities allowed most people in the central Toledo province to return to their homes, lifting a state of emergency introduced on July 23. Fires still raged in the Madrid region nearby.

"We are starting to see the end of the tunnel in the fight against these fires," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters. Europe, the world's fastest warming continent, has endured record-breaking heatwaves this year. Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the heat and drought that allow wildfires to spread faster, burn longer and become more destructive.

Sanchez said that ignoring this fact made people even more vulnerable to these changes. In France, the mood was sombre as fires ravaged the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast, a popular tourist destination, and spread through areas surrounding Bordeaux in previous days. President Emmanuel Macron called the wildfire crisis possibly the most severe the country has faced since World War Two.

Local authorities at Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde, which covers the Bordeaux area, said on X the fire had been contained on Tuesday after some flare-ups, but weather forecasts were unfavourable.