European wildfires in graphics: France and Spain battle blazes as another heatwave approaches

Firefighters in Spain and France are racing to contain wildfires as Europe’s fourth heatwave of the summer takes hold on Wednesday. In France, nearly 260,000 have had to leave their accommodation, while in Spain 116,000 people have been evacuated as the wildfires continue to wreak havoc. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 2025 was Europe’s worst year for wildfires since it began tracking burnt land in 2006. More than 116,000 hectares of forest and vegetation have been burned in France since January, far exceeding the 70,000 hectares reported for the whole of 2025. Spain’s government said the 172,000 hectares of forested land burned this year was six times greater than in the same period of 2025. Three wildfires in the Madrid region have caused major concerns, with a new heatwave to hit Spain from Wednesday. A total of 89,763 people have been evacuated across more than 45 localities in Madrid and the provinces of Ávila and Toledo.