Spain-France wildfire crisis

In early July 2026 a massive wildfire tore through Catalonia’s Empordà region, burning roughly 19,600 hectares of forest and scrubland under extreme heat, zero humidity and strong tramontana winds. The blaze reached the coast at Cap de Creus and the town of Cadaqués, killing four people—including three occupants of a French hydroplane assisting firefighting—and injuring four firefighters.

Two weeks later the situation expanded across the border. A fire near Bordeaux‑Mérignac Airport in France’s Gironde department engulfed a building, killing two firefighters and prompting a temporary suspension of flights. Simultaneously, Spain faced a larger blaze in the Guadalajara region that had consumed about 32,000 hectares. The dual emergencies underscored an unprecedented heatwave and drought gripping much of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, conditions scientists link to human‑driven climate change and that have pushed wildfire activity across Europe well above the long‑term average.