Live: Thousands forced to flee as deadly wildfires rage in parts of France, Italy and Spain Thousands of people were forced to flee deadly wildfires that continued to sweep through parts of France, Spain and Italy on Friday. Hundreds of firefighters backed by water-bombing planes battled the blazes fanned by scorching temperatures and strong winds. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.

Better weather in France's Var region, campsite evacuated in Corsica Firefighters in the Var region in southeastern France are hoping for more favourable weather conditions to help them “contain and extinguish” the fire that has been burning for four days, but still consider it “too early” to “declare it under control”, whilst in Haute-Corse, a campsite has been evacuated as a precaution. After a day marked by dozens of flare-ups fuelled by a strong mistral wind, the fire service experienced a much more favourable night, with a sea breeze that brought temperatures down and increased the relative humidity. “These weather conditions have enabled us to carry out thorough, sustained work, which gives us much greater scope for action today,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Michel Audier during a press briefing in Pontevès.

Spain requests four planes from EU to fight wildfires 🎥 Thousands evacuate as heatwave fuels blazes near Madrid The regional government of Madrid, which spans a wide area around the capital city, said 10,000 people had been evacuated from different villages as multiple fires raged out of control. 📷 Cap-Ferret peninsula evacuated by boat Tourists carry their belongings during an evacuation of the entire Cap-Ferret peninsula in south-west France on July 24, 2026, as a forest fire ravages the region. © Romain Perrocheau, AFP 32 fires currently burning in France, 50,000 hectares burnt, Interior Minister says "We currently have 32 fires burning, which are obviously not all of equal significance," Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told AFP.

"We have exceeded the 50,000-hectare mark for the area burnt since 1 January this year. So if you compare that with last year, it’s almost three times as much," he said. Some 40,000 people evacuated in southwest France The fire, which started in Saumos (Gironde) and is threatening the Cap-Ferret peninsula, has already “spread across more than 10,000 hectares”, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told AFP, describing it as “the biggest fire of the season”.

“As I speak, 40,000 people have been evacuated or are currently being evacuated,” he added, emphasising that, for the time being, there had been “no casualties”. “A total of 80 houses have been burnt, around 50 of which have been destroyed,” Nuñez said. Spanish PM calls wildfires 'a dramatic situation' Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the wildfires ravaging thousands of hectares of land across Spain and neighbouring countries "a dramatic situation".

"We are living through a dramatic situation, not only in various Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighbouring countries," he wrote on X, saying the government "has deployed all available resources". 📷 Residents evacuated in Spanish Ávila province Residents spend the night at a sports center after being evacuated from their homes because of the threat of a wildfire in Cebreros, Ávila province, Spain on July 24, 2026.