France’s south‑west has seen one of the most intense wildfire seasons of the decade, prompting the evacuation of roughly 12 000 people from the Gironde region.
More than 2 000 hectares of forested land have been lost, and authorities have banned internal combustion engines and shut several roads to contain the blaze.
Two firefighters died near the Bordeaux airport, a tragedy that brought the country’s emergency response into focus and left the national media and politicians offering stark tributes.
Elsewhere, the Italian interior minister paid homage to a courageous volunteer, Alessio Marchi, who gave his life tackling a fire in San Cataldo, Sicily.
Meanwhile, in Spain, a fire has burned to the extent that hundreds of emergency personnel and a helicopter are now engaged in a direct attack on the flames, with one evacuee allowed to return to his home.
Across Europe, record temperatures in July have heightened the risk of such catastrophic fires, with climate experts noting that last year marked the largest emissions from wildfire‑burnt areas in recent history.
