Over 300,000 evacuated as wildfires tear through Spain, France – EnviroNews

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Wildfires raging across France and Spain have forced more than 300,000 people from their homes in recent days, with Spain declaring a national emergency as fires continue to spread near Madrid and along its eastern coast.

New data show the trend is accelerating fast: land burned by wildfire across Europe has surged 57% in just four years, according to the World Health Organisation’s European Region.

In Spain, fires have burned nearly 10,000 hectares in the Madrid region alone and between 13,000 and 15,000 hectares in neighbouring Ávila province, according to the country’s interior ministry. Wildfires in Spain and Portugal combined have more than doubled compared with last year, and the head of the Madrid regional government has called the current fires the worst the area has ever seen.

In France, around 63,000 people have evacuated southern regions as multiple fires burn simultaneously, destroying approximately 80 homes so far. France has appealed to the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism for international firefighting support.

This is not a single bad summer. According to WHO Europe, wildfires destroyed 2.2 million hectares of land across the region in 2025 alone, up from 1.4 million hectares in 2022, a trajectory that tracks rising global temperatures.

In a reaction, environmental campaign group, 350.org, says the wildfire crisis exposes the true cost of fossil fuel delay and who’s paying for it.

Soraya Fettih, global campaigner at 350.org who lives near Bordeaux, said: “On Saturday morning  I was evacuated from my home. The fire is reaching the suburbs of Bordeaux. The sky is black, and the air is filled with ash. The city is filled with people forced to flee the suburbs and the coast. This isn’t something we’re watching on the news. We’re living it.

“As my community breathes smoke and watches our forests burn, TotalEnergies has just announced $11.2 billion in profit in six months, a 72% increase in net income, boosted by higher oil prices during the war in Iran.

“My people are paying the price. We are losing our homes, our memories and our communities. Our lives and our future are turning to ash. At the same time, our region is being left to shoulder the enormous cost of fighting these fires and helping people rebuild, while governments continue to subsidise the fossil fuel companies driving this crisis. Communities are paying twice: once through climate disasters, and again through public money that continues to support the companies profiting from them.”

The wildfires come as Europe’s oil and gas majors continue to report soaring profits, says 350.org, adding that TotalEnergies reported adjusted net income of $6.03 billion for the second quarter of 2026, up 68% on the same period last year, driven largely by stronger refining margins. As more profits are announced

“This is a fast-moving situation. Figures may change as the fires continue and full damage assessments are completed; a total economic cost estimate for the 2026 fire season is not yet available. As it becomes clear, fires at this scale are fueled by global warming largely caused by burning fossil fuels, 350.org is calling on European governments to make the fossil fuel companies pay for the damage its profiting from contributing to, including through a permanent higher taxes on fossil fuels and a climate damages tax on oil and gas profits to fund emergency response, recovery and long-term resilience for communities on the frontline of the crisis,” stated the group.