Wildfire burns southern Europe as Spain declares national emergency; France seeks EU help, Italy battles in Sicily
Madrid, July 24
Wildfires continued to rage across southern Europe, prompting mass evacuations and emergency responses in Spain, France and Italy as authorities battled fast-moving blazes fuelled by extreme heat and strong winds, according to Euronews.
Spain has declared a national emergency as wildfires threaten communities near Madrid and in the province of Avila.
According to Euronews, authorities said fires burning in the towns of Villa del Prado and San Martin de Valdeiglesias, west of the Spanish capital, remain "out of control" although emergency crews have managed to slow their spread in recent hours.
Thousands of residents have been evacuated from the affected areas, while parts of Spain are forecast to witness temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius on Friday.
Announcing the move, the Government of Spain said in a post on X, "Tonight, a national interest emergency has been declared due to the fires in Madrid and Avila. Other provinces are also affected by the forest fires."
Meanwhile, France has sought assistance through the European Union's civil protection mechanism as multiple wildfires continue to spread across the country amid scorching temperatures.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a post on X, said the situation remained "very high tension", particularly in the southwestern department of Gironde, where fires have scorched more than 8,700 hectares.
"The situation remains under very high tension in the face of the fires ravaging the country, particularly in Gironde," Macron said in his post.
"France has requested the activation of the European Union's civil protection mechanism. We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia," the post added.
The Gironde wildfire, which broke out in Saumos on Tuesday, has spread toward Le Porge and Lège-Cap-Ferret, forcing authorities to evacuate around 20,000 people, Euronews reported.
Macron also paid tribute to two firefighters who lost their lives while battling a blaze in the Merignac suburb of Bordeaux earlier this week.
"My thoughts go out to our firefighters and the rescue forces who are battling relentlessly on the fire front. Their courage commands respect," his post added.
According to Euronews, Gironde witnessed devastating wildfires in 2022 that forced nearly 50,000 people to flee after more than 30,000 hectares of forest were destroyed.
Another major wildfire is burning near the villages of Correns and Montfort-sur-Argens in the Var department of southeastern France, where about 2,700 hectares had been burnt as of Thursday evening.
Around 800 firefighters, supported by aerial firefighting resources, have been deployed to contain the blaze, Euronews reported.
In Italy, nearly 6,000 emergency responders, including firefighters, forest guards and civil protection personnel, have been deployed to combat wildfires across Sicily.
According to the regional government, the most severe fires have been reported in Casaboli, Bivona, Alimena, San Cataldo, Galati Mamertino, parts of the Madonie Regional Natural Park and the Syracuse area.
A firefighter, Alessandro Marchi, died while responding to a wildfire in San Cataldo earlier this week.
Expressing condolences, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a post on X, "The passing of the Battalion Chief Alessandro Marchi deeply saddens us. He lost his life while engaged in the operations to extinguish a vast fire in San Cataldo, carrying out his duty to the very end with courage, dedication, and an extraordinary sense of responsibility. To his family, his colleagues, and the entire National Fire Department, I extend my most heartfelt condolences and my closeness."
According to data from the European Forest Fires Information System cited by Euronews, wildfires have burned 254,388 hectares across the European Union since the beginning of this year.
While the figure is above the long-term average, it remains below the 270,449 hectares burnt during the same period in 2025.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Seeing temperatures of 44°C in Spain makes me grateful for our preparedness in India. We deal with extreme heat every year, but Europe seems unprepared for this scale of disaster. The loss of two firefighters in France is tragic—they are true heroes risking their lives. I hope the EU's civil protection mechanism helps effectively. This is a wake-up call for all developed nations.
While my sympathies are with the victims, I can't help but notice the irony: Europe often lectures developing nations about climate change, but now they're facing the consequences too. 254,388 hectares burned this year—that's massive. India has its own forest fire challenges, but we've been doing reforestation and community-based fire management. Maybe it's time for a global exchange of best practices instead of finger-pointing.
It's just sad to see so many hectares of forest destroyed. In India, we value our forests as part of our culture and environment. The fact that France lost 8,700 hectares in Gironde alone is shocking. But what's concerning is that Europe had similar wildfires in 2022, yet they seem to have not learned much. They need better early warning systems and fire breaks, like we use in some Indian states.
These wildfires are a stark reminder that climate change doesn't discriminate. Whether it's Spain, France, Italy, or India, we're all in this together. The death of Battalion Chief Alessandro Marchi in Italy is a huge loss—these firefighters are risking everything. I just hope the international community steps up with more funding for firefighting equipment and climate resilience. Every life matters. 🌍
R We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.