France orders total evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as wildfires breach defensive lines

French authorities have ordered the total evacuation of 40,000 people from the Cap Ferret peninsula after an 'XXL' wildfire breached defensive lines in the Gironde region, destroying 53 homes and consuming 8,700 hectares. Simultaneously, Spain has declared a national emergency as out-of-control blazes force 10,000 evacuations near Madrid. To combat the crisis, French President Emmanuel Macron activated the EU's civil protection mechanism, securing water-bombing aircraft and helicopters from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

Cap Ferret peninsula evacuations

• ▪Evacuees from the Cap Ferret peninsula were instructed by regional prefect Sophie Brocas to leave via boat from four village piers or by the single road linking the peninsula to the mainland.
• ▪French authorities ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula on July 24, 2026, due to a major wildfire breaching defensive lines.
• ▪French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that 40,000 people had been or were in the process of being evacuated from the Cap Ferret peninsula.

Gironde region wildfire damage

• ▪The wildfire in the Gironde region has devastated 8,700 hectares of land and remains out of control.
• ▪Gironde regional prefect Sophie Brocas reported that 53 homes and one campsite were destroyed by the wildfire, while 2,000 houses were saved.
• ▪Two firefighters died on July 21, 2026, while battling a wildfire near Bordeaux airport in southwestern France.

Spain national wildfire emergency

• ▪Wildfires in southern Spain killed at least 13 people in July 2026, including seven British nationals, three Belgian nationals, and one national each from the US, France, and Spain.
• ▪Spanish authorities evacuated more than 10,000 people from towns west of Madrid, including Aldea del Fresno, Villa del Prado, and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.
• ▪The Spanish government declared a national emergency on July 24, 2026, as wildfires burned out of control in several areas close to Madrid.

European climate change impacts

• ▪According to the European Forest Fire Information System, the total area of land burned in European Union countries in 2026 is the second largest on record.
• ▪A study by the World Weather Attribution group published on July 23, 2026, indicates that climate change has intensified the severity of European droughts and increased forest fire risks.

Firefighting resources deployment

• ▪The European Union provided France with reinforcements including two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, and two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
• ▪French President Emmanuel Macron requested the activation of the European Union's civil protection mechanism to secure international firefighting reinforcements.