Wildfires described by experts as the most extreme seen in Europe are currently threatening Bordeaux and Madrid. In France's Gironde region, around Bordeaux, tens of thousands of hectares have burned, leading to the displacement of over 200,000 people in what is described as the largest peacetime evacuation in the country's history.
In Spain, multiple fires have merged on the outskirts of Madrid, creating what is being called the largest fire in Spain's history. This has resulted in more than triple the average hectares burning for July, amidst another heatwave.
Scientists attribute these fires near Madrid and Bordeaux to "weather whiplash" caused by the accelerating climate crisis. Similar conditions of intense heat and fires are reported from Sicily in the south to Norway in the north.