Watch: Homes go up in flames as wildfires tear through Spain

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 20:30

Pictured: Smoke rises as a wildfire spreads near Madrid

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 20:10

Spanish resident recalls panicking and taking her cat as she was evacuated

A residents from Fresnedillas de La Oliva, a town near Madrid, said she “took her cat and left” when she received a message to prepare for evacuation.

Wildfires in Europe have displaced about 280,000 people this week, including some 70,000 people evacuated in central Spain.

"I saw clouds of smoke rising into the sky. That's when I realized something was happening," Rodika, 60, from the small town of Fresnedillas de La Oliva, told Reuters.

"I ‌think we all panicked. Then we received the message telling us to ​get ready, take whatever valuables we could, whatever was most important. I took my cat, and we left."

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 19:50

Restaurant owner says Bordeaux is 'full of smoke and ash'

A British restaurant owner in Bordeaux said the city is “full of smoke and ash” and residents are wearing masks if they go outside.

Lance Attwood, 58, who owns Sweeney Todd’s in Bordeaux city centre, told the Press Association: “It’s not really conducive to coming out.

“The town is full of smoke and ash, so there’s a big drop in business, people are just walking around town in masks.

“Our biggest concern is people’s safety and the safety of the emergency services.”

Mr Attwood, who has lived in Bordeaux for 25 years, said it was “too soon” for friends who had been evacuated to want to talk to the media about their experiences, with their focus instead on recovering sentimental belongings and finding alternative living arrangements.

He encouraged people to donate dry food with a long shelf-life to local charities to help those affected.

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 19:47

Pictured: Where are the wildfires across Europe?

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 19:35

Reality TV star Georgia Toffolo reveals she escaped French wildfires

Reality TV star Georgia Toffolo has revealed she narrowly escaped the French wildfires with her husband, Brewdog co-founder James Watt.

The 31-year-old said she was on holiday with family in Cap Ferret last week and left the place she was staying earlier than planned as she could smell the fires, adding in a post on her Instagram story that she is “praying that everyone’s OK”.

The former Made In Chelsea star said: “We were just watching the news, and just so you can understand, we were on holiday there for a week, and then we were at lunch with friends on Thursday, and… we knew about the fire, but at that point it was quite far away.

“And our friends were like: ‘Oh God, it’s really getting bad’, and they live there, so they were a bit more plugged in than us, and anyway, at that point, everyone was like… ‘everything’s OK, just stay put’.

“But the problem is with these wildfires, when the wind changes direction, the situation changes really quickly.”

Read more here:

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 19:30

Macron promises to 'rebuild' and 'repair' areas destroyed by wildfires

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to “rebuild” and “repair” after thousands of hectares have been ravaged and homes destroyed in France.

About 197,000 people have so far been evacuated from the Gironde and Landes areas close to Bordeaux since the wildfires broke out this week.

French Interior Minister Nunez said the flames were around 30 km (19 miles) from Bordeaux.

The president has thanked the emergency services fighting the country's numerous wildfires.

“We will rebuild, we will repair, and we will be there as long as it takes,” he wrote in a post on X.

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 19:14

Residents near Bordeaux describe wildfires as 'totally apocalyptic'

A wildfire in the village of Saumos, north of Cap Ferret, near Bordeaux has been described as “apocalyptic” by residents.

The fire is threatening to cut off the only road out of the peninsula and is the largest so far this season in France, local television reported.

It has torn through more than 14,000 hectares of forest and destroyed more ‌than 100 homes and one campsite, officials said.

"It breaks my heart. Because it's such a pleasant place to live, seeing it go up in smoke is truly sad," said family caregiver Corinne Paillaube.

"It's totally apocalyptic," said Ambre Dubos, from the nearby Landes region.

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 19:10

Tour de France organisers shorten final route amid France wildfire emergency

Race organisers have shortened the finale of the Tour de France in Paris on Sunday, after security forces were redeployed away from the capital to help battle wildfires near Bordeaux.

The Tour de France traditionally finishes with a processional ride to the Champs-Elysees, where the winner of the yellow jersey is crowned.

The event draws tens of thousands of spectators to Paris, but security personnel initially planned to protect the race have now been sent south to support overwhelmed fire services.

Read more here:

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 18:50

More than 400 emergency workers battle blaze outside Madrid

More than 400 emergency workers are battling the wildfire which is spreading west of Madrid, the capitals emergency agency has said.

In a post on X emergency services explain about 50 ground and 12 aerial units - which includes fire engines and helicopters - are working to tackle the blaze.

Rebecca Whittaker25 July 2026 18:28