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Photos: Wildfires Rage Across France and Spain

Hundreds of thousands of residents have been evacuated from regions of France and Spain as fire crews battle dozens of wildfires—with extreme heat predicted in the coming days, threatening even more potential fires.

By · July 27, 2026 · 3 min read
This article was originally published by The Atlantic and is republished here under license.
Two people sit in beach chairs beneath an umbrella on a lake beach, looking across the water toward thick plumes of smoke rising from a wildfire.
Maximilien Lamy / AFP / Getty
Beachgoers rest on the beach of Moutchic on the shore of Lake Lacanau in Lacanau, southwestern France, on July 24, 2026, as clouds of smoke rise into the sky from the Gironde wildfire.
Flames roar through trees during a wildfire, seen at night.
Ana Beltran / Reuters
A tree burns during the La Mierla wildfire in Albendiego, Guadalajara, Spain, on July 21, 2026.
A small firefighting aircraft dumps water over a wildfire.
Cesar Manso / AFP / Getty
An Air Tractor AT-802F Fire Boss aircraft dumps water over a wildfire burning near San Martín de Valdeiglesias, about 70 kilometers west of Madrid, on July 26, 2026.
A house goes up in flames during a wildfire.
Clement Viala / Infobassin.com / ABACA / Reuters
A house goes up in flames in Le Porge, in southwestern France, on July 24, 2026.
Two firefighters stand on a road as flames rise up from nearby brush.
Violeta Santos Moura / Reuters
Firefighters work to battle a wildfire affecting Castile and León, in the village of El Tiemblo, Spain, on July 24, 2026.
A firefighting helicopter hovers just above a swimming pool as it uses a bucket to scoop up water.
A. Perez Meca / Europa Press News / Getty
A helicopter scoops water from a swimming pool on July 25, 2026, in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Madrid, Spain.
An aerial photograph showing smoke rising from a wildfire near a coastline.
Romain Perrocheau / AFP / Getty
This aerial photograph shows smoke rising from a wildfire north of the Arcachon basin, with a view of a beach and the Atlantic Ocean (left), near Lege-Cap-Ferret, France, on July 24, 2026.
Two people sit outside, watching a sunset, under smoky skies.
David Canales / NurPhoto / Reuters
Wildfire smoke blanketed the city of Madrid in recent days.
An alpine village seen at night, beneath a wildfire burning across a mountainside
Thibaut Durand / Hans Lucas / AFP / Getty
A major wildfire burns across the mountains overlooking L’Argentière-la-Bessée, France, on July 20, 2026.
People walk two horses on a gravel road, as wildfire smoke rises in the distance.
Ana Beltran / Reuters
People relocate their horses as smoke rises from a wildfire in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Madrid, Spain, on July 26, 2026.
At least eight dogs sit in the back of a truck, caged, and waiting to be evacuated.
C. Carvajal / JNA / ZUMA Press Wire / Reuters
Dogs sit in the back of a truck, waiting to be evacuated as work continues to extinguish a forest fire in La Adrada, Ávila, Castile and León, Spain, on July 26, 2026.
People gather in a temporary shelter building, sitting at tables and on cots.
Lorena Sopena Lopez / Anadolu / Getty
The Parc des Expositions de Bordeaux-Lac serves as one of the main reception centers for people evacuated due to severe wildfires affecting the Gironde department, seen on July 26, 2026, in Bordeaux, France.
A person sleeps on a cot, with a small dog curled up beside their head, resting on their chin.
Juan Carlos Lucas / ZUMA Press Wire / Reuters
Evacuees from Chapinería and Pelayos de la Presa rest in a shelter on July 25, 2026. Most had to hastily leave their homes due to the uncontrolled advance of the wildfires in Madrid’s Sierra Oeste region.
A firefighting aircraft flies above a wildfire in a forest.
Thibaud Moritz / AFP / Getty
A French civil-security aircraft flies above a wildfire burning in a forest surrounding Cotignac, in southeastern France, on July 23, 2026.
Flames burn across a forest floor, seen at night.
Abdul Saboor / Reuters
A wildfire burns near Lacanau, Gironde, among worsening drought conditions following a heat wave and water shortages across much of France, on July 25, 2026.
Two firefighting aircraft scoop water from a lake.
Christoph Rutenkolk / IMAGO / Reuters
Two Canadair CL-415 aircraft scoop water from a lake in front of spectators as a wildfire spreads near Cotignac in the Var department, France, on July 23, 2026.
A firefighter works in a farm field, in front of a long line of fire across the field.
Cesar Manso / AFP / Getty
Firefighters battle a wildfire in the Cebreros area, near Ávila, 80 kilometers west of Madrid, on July 24, 2026.
A red-colored sun rises behind the smoke of a wildfire, seen through tree branches.
Pedro Nunes / Reuters
The sun rises behind the smoke of a wildfire in Escalona, Spain, on July 26, 2026.
Smoke drifts across a road from recently-burned trees.
A. Perez Meca / Europa Press News / Getty
A view of smoke from the wildfire in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Madrid, Spain, on July 25, 2026
An array of several large radio antenna dishes, seen among hills under smoky skies
Oscar Del Pozo / AFP / Getty
Large antennae stand intact at the NASA Deep Space Network center in Robledo de Chavela, near Madrid, on July 26, 2026, after a wildfire burned through the surrounding area without damaging the facility.
An aerial view of a wildfire spreading toward a city, sending huge plumes of smoke into the sky
Valentin Lefebvre / First Eye / ABACA / Reuters
An aerial view of the wildfire spreading toward Lège-Cap-Ferret, in Gironde, on July 23, 2026.
Several people watch a wildfire burn, seen across a body of water, at night.
Stephane Mahe / Reuters
Tourists watch a wildfire burn in a forest area near Arcachon Bay from Gujan-Mestras, in the Gironde department, on July 24, 2026.
Smoke rises from a plot used for storing scrap metal, with scorched metal and machinery strewn about.
Oscar Del Pozo / AFP / Getty
Smoke rises from a plot used for storing scrap metal, following a devastating wildfire in Pelayos de la Presa, west of Madrid, on July 26, 2026.
A firefighter sprays water on a scorched field, surrounded by burned trees.
Frederic Dides / AFP / Getty
A firefighter sprays water on a scorched field, surrounded by burned trees, following a wildfire in Cotignac, France, on July 24, 2026.
A person inspects the damage in a burned residential area.
Julien De Rosa / AFP / Getty
A resident inspects the damage in a burned residential area following a wildfire in Le Porge, in the Gironde department, on July 25, 2026.
An aerial view shows a burned residential area following a wildfire.
Florian Plaucheur / AFP / Getty
An aerial view shows a burned residential area following a wildfire in Le Porge on July 25, 2026.
Tall flames rise up from a stand of trees.
Ana Beltran / Reuters
Flames emerge from a wildfire in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Madrid, Spain, on July 26, 2026.
A person stands on a rock and uses a chainsaw to cut large branches from a fallen and burning tree.
Cesar Vallejo Rodriguez / Europa Press News / Getty
A person works to extinguish a forest fire in La Adrada, Ávila, Castile and León, Spain, on July 26, 2026.
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