French authorities ordered the evacuation of residents from seven towns west of Bordeaux overnight as flames advanced toward the city. Officials said the blaze remained 40 to 50 kilometres from Bordeaux but warned that strong winds were carrying thick smoke into the city, leaving residents reporting a strong burning smell.
A local official said firefighters were "far from having the fire under control."
Around 200,000 people have been evacuated from France s Gironde and Landes regions. The French government has deployed military personnel to assist firefighters by clearing vegetation and creating firebreaks to slow the spread of the flames.
The European Union has also stepped in to support France s firefighting efforts, sending aircraft, helicopters and specialist firefighting teams from several member states.
A tourist who fled a campsite near Bordeaux with his family described the wildfire as "frightening," saying they could still smell smoke nearly 100 miles away.
In neighbouring Spain, authorities have evacuated nearly 60,000 people from the Madrid and Ávila regions, while more than 28,000 others remain confined to their homes.
A state of emergency remains in place, although improved weather conditions have helped firefighters battling blazes near Madrid.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that "complex times" still lie ahead, while regional authorities in Valencia confirmed the death of a man believed to be in his 70s after firefighters found him inside his car while extinguishing a wildfire in Manises.
Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso described the disaster as the worst wildfire in the region s history.
According to Sánchez, about 130,000 hectares of land have burned in Spain so far this year, already exceeding the country s average annual wildfire damage over the past decade.
France has recorded 98,000 hectares burned since the beginning of 2026, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.
Elsewhere in Europe, Italy is also battling widespread fires. More than 350 fires, including 10 major blazes, have broken out across Sicily, prompting further evacuations.
In Scotland, emergency services declared a major incident as firefighters continued battling a wildfire in the Cairngorms National Park that has been burning for 10 days.
European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib warned that this year s wildfire season could surpass previous records.
She noted that the wildfire season had started unusually early, with the Netherlands activating the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in April to request international assistance.
Lahbib also cautioned that another heatwave is expected, increasing the likelihood of further wildfires across Europe in the coming weeks.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU had deployed 11 firefighting aircraft and helicopters from its shared emergency fleet to assist France and Spain.
