France orders 4,000 more evacuated as fires displace a third of a million across southwest Europe - AP News

What the report says

The Associated Press reported that French authorities ordered another 4,000 people to leave Atlantic coast tourist areas on Tuesday as a major wildfire west of Bordeaux flared under renewed heat. The evacuations centered on the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula, where fresh flames appeared near Grand Crohot, a popular beach area. AP described the widening operation as possibly France’s largest peacetime evacuation, while its headline said fires have displaced about a third of a million people across southwest Europe.

According to AP, emergency crews increased their aerial response from 18 to 23 planes and helicopters, using water and retardant drops to stop the fire from spreading. Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said conditions remained difficult, while also allowing about 60,000 people evacuated from Le Haillan and parts of Mérignac and Eysines, near Bordeaux’s ring road, to return because fires had not reached those areas. Residents were still advised to stay reachable and ready to leave again if needed.

Bordeaux converted its exhibition center into a shelter for evacuees as fires continued threatening communities in southwestern France. AP photos showed firefighters working near Lanton and aircraft dropping retardant near Saint-Jean-d’Illac on July 28, 2026.

The wildfire emergency extended into Spain, where AP reported that residents of 10 affected towns had begun going home after evacuation orders were lifted. Hundreds of firefighters, supported by military emergency brigades and water-dropping aircraft, were still battling several large fires, including in Ávila province, where crews used controlled burning near Cebreros and fire damage was visible in Piedralaves.