Summary

Live Reporting

Edited by Manish Pandey, Kieran Kelly, and Charlotte Hadfield

  1. Thunder in a wildfire: What is a pyrocumulonimbus cloud?

    Helen Willetts
    Lead weather presenter

    A pyrocumulonimbus, a giant cloud created by a large fire as seen from a fire fighter helicopter over the village of Saumos, FranceEPA/Shutterstock

    A pyrocumulonimbus cloud as seen over the village of Saumos, France, on Saturday

    Wildfires are sustained by dry and warm weather with strong winds adding to the danger, moving the fires very quickly.

    However, wildfires can also create their own winds and weather, like a pyrocumulonimbus cloud which is essentially a thunderstorm created by a very intense wildfire, as seen near Bordeaux.

    When a large fire burns, it releases huge amounts of heat. This heat makes the air above the fire rise rapidly, carrying smoke, ash and water vapour high into the atmosphere.

    As the air rises, it cools and the water vapour condenses into a cloud. If the fire is powerful enough and the atmosphere is unstable, that cloud can grow into a towering cumulonimbus, the same type of cloud associated with thunderstorms.

    Therefore, if pyrocumulonimbus clouds become large enough, they too can produce lightning, which can then start new fires.

    The winds within these clouds, like in thunderstorms, are more unpredictable and can spread out in all directions. They can also occasionally bring hail and rain.

    Scientists sometimes describe these clouds as a fire-generated thunderstorm because the fire itself provides the energy needed to build the cloud.

  2. Macron chairs crisis meeting as Spanish PM visits affected areas

    French President Emmanuel Macron sits next to Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez as he attends a meeting with members of the cabinet to discuss wildfires in the country, at the Hotel de Beauvau, headquarters of the Interior Ministry, in Paris, France, July 27, 2026Reuters

    Emmanuel Macron chairs a crisis meeting in response to wildfires

    Top of the agenda for leaders in France and Spain today is addressing the wildfires which have caused displacement and destruction in their countries.

    Just moments ago, French President Emmanuel Macron began a crisis meeting to discuss the country's response to wildfires, with one blaze around nine miles (15 km) from the south of Bordeaux.

    Speaking on Saturday, Macron vowed to rebuild and repair damage from fires, adding that his government would "be there for as long as is needed".

    In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is visiting the areas affected by Castellón forest fires including Vall d'Uixó, a town near Valencia where as many as 6,500 hectares have been scorched.

    We'll bring you the latest from both leaders as soon as we have it.

  3. Fire in Gironde town stable after rain overnight, says mayor

    A firefighter walks in front of a forest, with flames on the ground and smoke in the airEPA/Shutterstock

    Firefighters battle flames in Marcheprime on Sunday evening

    The situation in Marcheprime, a town in France's Gironde region, is "reassuring" following a burst of rain overnight, the local mayor has said.

    Speaking on France Inter radio, Manuel Martinez says the fire in the area is stable after it rained for "about an hour" last night, making the ground damp.

    He adds that the town remains vigilant due to the possibility of winds picking up again.

  4. Another heatwave means more wildfires are likely - EU official

    Smoke rises from a wildfire in Pierroton, Gironde, FranceReuters

    Another heatwave in France is set to complicate efforts to tackle the blaze near Bordeaux, with weather forecasts predicting highs of up to 40C this week.

    Eric Brocardi, spokesman for the National Firefighters Federation of France says that in order to control the fire, it would need to rain "heavily for three days".

    Hadja Lahbib, the EU's commissioner for crisis management, warns that more wildfires are likely as the summer goes on, adding: "Forecasters are predicting, unfortunately, another heatwave so we can expect other wildfires."

    She also tells the BBC that damage from ongoing wildfires in Europe will likely surpass previous records.

    "Last year, one million hectares burned during the summer and so we are expecting to face another historical, sad record because the season has started earlier in the year," Lahbib says.

  5. Traffic builds as evacuated residents return home near Madrid

    Residents are beginning to make their way home in parts of the Madrid region that were affected by the recent wildfire.

    Traffic queues are forming near Cenicientos, a village in the south-west of the region, while elderly people have been told they can return to nearby San Martin de Valdeiglesias this morning.

    Cars line up with traffic officers speaking through driver windowsGetty Images
    A man runs along a road next to a line of trafficGetty Images
    A police officer helps regulate traffic on a rural roadGetty Images

  6. Some elderly evacuees can return in Madrid region, says official

    A woman looks as smoke rises from a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, in the Madrid region, on SundayReuters

    A woman looks as smoke rises from a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, in the Madrid region, on Sunday

    Elderly people who were evacuated from a town in the Madrid region will be allowed to return to their homes on Monday, a government delegate for the region has said

    Francisco Martín Aguirre shared the news for those living in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, located west of Madrid, in an update on Sunday night.

    He added that a re-opening time for a campsite in El Escorial will be shared, and that access will be allowed during a specific time slot to feed livestock in areas with restrictions.

  7. Gironde region bans Scout camps and summer camp stays

    The region of Gironde, surrounding the city of Bordeaux, has banned Scout camps and "vacation stays organised for persons with disabilities".

    It also says summer camps for children, as well as overnight stays at leisure centres, are prohibited.

    The announcement follows an earlier plea from Sophie Brocas, the prefect of the Gironde department, for tourists to consider "against going to the Gironde".

    "I urge tourists not to come," she told journalists, after around 220,000 people evacuated the region.

    Sophie BrocasGetty Images

    The prefect of Gironde Sophie Brocas previously advised holidaymakers to avoid the area

  8. Thousands sleeping in sports halls and exhibition centres

    An estimated 220,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the Gironde region in south-west France.

    Another 105,000 have left their homes in Spain, as our previous post details. Many have spent the weekend in make-shift shelters in sports halls and exhbition centres:

    A woman hands out food while a man prepares food nearby at a sports centreGetty Images

    The Villamanta sports centre has hosted evacuees near the Spanish capital of Madrid

    Gironde sports centre full of people and suppliesGetty Images

    In France, the Bordeaux exhibition centre has become a hub for evacuated residents seeking supplies and shelter

    A man crouches over two cats leaving a containerGetty Images

    The blaze near Bordeaux remained stable overnight, but temperatures are expected to rise this week

    An old woman sits in a chair next to a younger woman. They are in a sports centre in front of a goal, with a large fan in the foregroundGetty Images

    The eastern coastal city of Valencia has seen thousands of residents take shelter in sports centres like this one

  9. Spanish PM to visit Valencia as 'very intense' fire expected to worsen

    In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit fire-hit areas in Valencia today.

    Around 15,000 people have so far been forced to evacuate the eastern coastal city, and over 90,000 have fled from the regions around Madrid and Ávila.

    Pilar Bernabe, the central government's delegate to Valencia, said the fire had been "very intense" and weather conditions were expected to worsen.

    In the Madrid, Avila and Toledo regions, it's estimated around 77,000 hectares have been affected by the fires, minister for ecological transition Sara Aagesen said on Sunday.

    Map of central Spain showing active wildfires recorded in the last 24 hours. Large clusters of red dots mark fire activity west of Madrid, concentrated around Burgohondo and San Martín de Valdeiglesias. The fires form two main zones. A few isolated fire detections are scattered south and east of Madrid. Madrid is labelled near the centre-right of the map. An inset map of Spain in the top right highlights the location of the affected area. Source: NASA FIRMS data as of 26 July.

  10. Fire is 'moving erratically' - but no plans yet to evacuate Bordeaux itself

    Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from Bordeaux's surrounding region of Gironde in France.

    The main fire has caused an unprecedented "pyrocumulonimbus" - a giant fire thunderstorm fuelled by its own winds and lightning, the National Firefighters Federation of France (FNSPF) said.

    Despite this, the Gironde prefecture said on Monday that the situation had remained "broadly stable" overnight.

    France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Sunday the situation remained "very unfavourable" and the fire was "moving erratically" towards the city.

    Bordeaux mayor Thomas Cazenave also said on Sunday there were no plans to evacuate the city's population of about 850,000.

    Map of south-west France showing active wildfires recorded in the last 24 hours. Large clusters of red dots mark fire activity around Arcachon Bay, concentrated to the south west of Bordeaux and between Lège-Cap-Ferret and Le Porge on the Atlantic coast. A second sizeable cluster is located near Biscarrosse to the south. Bordeaux is labelled inland to the east, while Arcachon Bay and the Bay of Biscay are labelled in blue along the coastline. An inset map of France in the top left highlights the location of the affected area.

    Map showing active fire data in France as of 26 July

  11. Are you affected by the fires? Have your holiday plans changed?

    Are you a resident or tourist who has been affected by the European wildfires, or did you have plans to visit the area? If it is safe to do so, get in touch.

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  12. Some good news - but also some less good news

    Hugh Schofield
    Paris Correspondent

    The moderately encouraging news over night was that the main fire near Bordeaux did not get worse.

    Winds let up and there was even a little rain, which allowed the fire authorities this morning to report that the situation was broadly stable.

    The less good news is that the weather is about to turn very hot again, with temperatures of up to 40C (104F) expected locally tomorrow.

    The fire has now consumed an area bigger than the Isle of Wight and is only 15 or so kilometres from Bordeaux city outskirts (nine miles). The motorway south of Bordeaux to Spain is cut, and there are no rail services out of the city to the south and west.

    The prefect for the Gironde department has urged holidaymakers to stay away.

    A woman looks at her phone on Saturday at the Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre, which has been turned into a shelter for evacuated peopleReuters

    A woman looks at her phone on Saturday at the Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre, which has been turned into a shelter for evacuated people

  13. France's Macron to hold emergency meeting as wildfire threatens Bordeaux

    Adam Goldsmith
    Live reporter

    A firefighter in some trees with a hose and small clusters of flames on the floorGetty Images

    Huge wildfires are burning through France and Spain, as authorities warn there could be worse to come when temperatures spike again this week.

    More than 330,000 people have so far been evacuated across both countries. In France, firefighters are warning of a "David versus Goliath" scenario" in the south-western city of Bordeaux, where a fire is just nine miles (15km) from the population of 850,000 people.

    The fire in the Gironde region caused a "pyrocumulonimbus" - a giant fire thunderstorm fuelled by its own winds and lightning. French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a crisis meeting with ministers this morning.

    Meanwhile, fires in the eastern coastal city of Valencia in Spain have forced 15,000 people forced to flee their homes. "Difficult hours lie ahead," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.