Wildfires Rage Across France, 12,000 People Evacuated to Safety

Darwin, 25 July : Nearly 12,000 people have been evacuated to safe locations as devastating wildfires continue to sweep through the Gironde region in southwestern France, French authorities said.

According to the BBC, French authorities ordered the evacuations on Thursday after two firefighters were killed while battling the blaze near Bordeaux Airport.

A red alert remains in effect across Gironde. Local officials said that more than 4,000 acres of forest have already been reduced to ashes, although no new casualties have been reported.

The AFP news agency reported that around 10,000 of those evacuated are tourists. Gironde is among the French regions hardest hit by the unprecedented heatwave affecting Europe this summer.

Meanwhile, more than 350 wildfires have broken out on the Italian island of Sicily, including in the San Cataldo area. Firefighter Alessandro Marchi lost his life while battling one of the blazes.

Italian authorities paid tribute to Marchi, while Sicilian President Renato Schifani wished a speedy recovery to another firefighter who was injured during the firefighting operation.

In Spain, although wildfires have affected areas surrounding the capital, Madrid, most residents have been allowed to return to their homes. However, residents of Villa del Prado have not yet been permitted to return.

Around 90 firefighters, supported by a helicopter, remain deployed to contain a forest fire in the area. Emergency services have shared footage on social media showing helicopters dropping water directly onto the flames.

Temperatures across several European countries have reached record highs in recent months. According to a report by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, temperatures in at least 95 percent of Europe were above the long-term average in 2025.

The report described Europe as the world’s fastest-warming continent, adding that the area of forest burned by wildfires and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions reached record levels last year.