France and Spain brace for fresh heatwave as warnings issued over risk of new wildfires – Europe live
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- Pedro Sánchez said the next 12 hours would be "decisive" in consolidating firefighting gains near Madrid, where 24,000 evacuees returned home overnight and another 20,000 had stay-at-home orders lifted.
- Météo-France forecasts temperatures up to 39C near Bordeaux—where the largest wildfire continues to burn—38C in Lyon, and 37C in Paris and Toulouse.
- Aemet (Spain) expects 42C in Pamplona, 41C in Cordova and Saragossa, 40C in Ciudad-Real and Toledo, and 37C in Madrid, as the Madrid regional government warned of "extreme" fire danger.
- Sophie Brocas, prefect of Gironde and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, said the Bordeaux-area fire remained contained overnight with several flare-ups quickly brought under control.
- Éric Brocardi of the French Firefighters Federation told BFMTV: "We will win this war," as 65 French departments were placed on high fire risk warning.
- Sánchez urged displaced residents to trust return-to-home decisions, which he said are based on scientific advice rather than politics, and warned against hoaxes and conspiracy theories spread on social media.
Why it matters: With 65 French departments on high fire-risk alert and Madrid's regional government warning of "extreme" fire danger, the return of 40C+ heat threatens to undo overnight gains. For the roughly 44,000 Madrid-area residents who just returned home, the next 12 hours of conditions will determine whether those returns hold or force fresh evacuations.
