France and Spain brace for fresh heatwave as warnings issued over risk of new wildfires – Europe live
Key events
The French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has delayed going on holiday and stays in Paris to manage the wildfire crisis, BFMTV reported.
Despite clear progress made in tackling the blazes, there are continuing concerns over the potential impact of the latest heatwave, starting today.
Firefighters continue to battle blazes in France, Spain – in pictures
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.
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.
