Madrid: Uncontrolled wildfires raging through forests in Spain and France have forced authorities in both countries to evacuate nearly 270,000 people.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, French Interior Minister Laurent Nu±ez stated today that 167,000 people have been evacuated across the country due to fires near Bordeaux and the Gironde region in the southwest, in addition to 30,000 in the Landes region, also in the southwest. He noted that forest fires have consumed approximately 98,000 hectares across France since the beginning of the year, a figure he described as “unprecedented,” adding, “Several fires are still burning out of control across the country.”

The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) announced that wildfires in France have burned a record 69,473 hectares since the beginning of 2026, compared to the previous record of just over 66,300 hectares in 2022. Unlike 2022, EFFIS also recorded massive wildfires in February, a month traditionally associated with controlled burning (the clearing of weeds and shrubs) and fires set by firefighters to clear forests. This month is also the worst July on record for mainland France since data collection began in 2006.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Interior Ministry announced that the number of people evacuated due to the fires has reached 70,000, an increase of 25,000 from the previously reported figure. Local reports indicated that the forest fires in Spain were concentrated near Madrid. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S¡nchez declared that the priority in combating the raging fires near Madrid was “saving lives,” warning that extinguishing the flames would be a complex undertaking. Speaking in a village within the fire zone, S¡nchez said, “Our priority, our thoughts, and our objective is to save your lives and protect populated areas. We will face difficult hours, with temperatures dropping, but we don’t know exactly how the winds will develop or how strong they will be.”