France and Spain brace for fresh heatwave as warnings issued over risk of new wildfires – Europe live

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Firefighters continue to battle blazes in France, Spain - in pictures
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Morning opening: France and Spain brace for heatwave as they make progress battling wildfires

Firefighters continue to battle blazes in France, Spain - in pictures

This aerial view taken from a Civil Security helicopter shows firefighting vehicles lined up along a road to suppress a wildfire near Ares, southwestern France. Photograph: Baz Ratner/AFP/Getty Images

A volunteer uses a rake trying to help stop a wildfire from advancing in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, west of Madrid, Spain. Photograph: Manu Fernández/AP

A firefighting vehicle works to extinguish a fire inside a military base during a wildfire, amid drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, in Souge, Gironde, France. Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters

Firefighters continue battling a wildfire near the town of Mirabel-et-Blacons in southeastern France. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Morning opening: France and Spain brace for heatwave as they make progress battling wildfires

Jakub Krupa

France and Spain are braced for the fourth heatwave of the summer to hit just as they were making progress battling destructive wildfires, with temperatures once again expected to cross into high 30s and low 40s celsius later today.

Men working on a firefighting vehicle in woodlands — Volunteers prepare a water truck to fill tanks mounted on firefighting vehicles, near Lège-Cap-Ferret, southwestern France. Photograph: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

Sophie Brocas, the ⁠prefect of Gironde and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, said overnight that the fire remained contained this morning, with several flare-ups quickly brought under control.

“We will win this war,” the communications director for the French Firefighters Federation, Éric Brocardi, told broadcaster BFMTV.

But the return of high temperatures puts authorities on high alert for new potential fires. Sixty-five French departments were put on a high fire risk warning.

Over in Spain, the government’s regional representatives in Madrid are warning of “extreme” fire danger in parts of the region. But, encouragingly, the main forest fire near the capital remained stable overnight, with no significant flare-ups.

I will bring you all the updates here.

It’s Wednesday, 29 July 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.