France and Spain race to contain fires before new heatwave

International

2026-07-292026-07-29By Correspondent

NAVALUENGA – Firefighters in France and Spain yesterday rushed to contain the worst wildfires in living memory, seizing crucial hours before the arrival of another wave of searing temperatures. Blazes have ripped through vast swathes of woodland in both countries, incinerating properties and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, residents and tourists alike.

A large wildfire raging near the French winemaking capital of Bordeaux created a rare pyrocumulonimbus cloud – a phenomenon that can create wind and lightning.

In the southwestern city’s surrounding Gironde region, tractors fitted with blades to clear land, pickups towing water tanks and logging trucks sped to join a convoy of fire engines on Monday.

“We want to help… I want nature to stay like it is,” said 25-year-old farmer and wood transporter Christopher Bonnefond.