French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said wildfires that swept across France were now under control. Authorities warned that risks remained as Greece and Spain continued battling active blazes across parts of Europe.
In the Gironde department, located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, authorities said the situation had improved after the country’s largest wildfire since 1949 erupted in a pine forest near Bordeaux.
The blaze scorched around 42,000 hectares (420 square kilometres) of land which is four times the size of Paris or more than 58,823 standard football pitches, and it destroyed more than 200 homes and forced the evacuation of more than 200,000 people.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said wildfires had burned 119,000 hectares across France since the beginning of the year. Lecornu warned that preventive measures could be reinstated if weather conditions worsened.
While France saw improvements, wildfires continued to spread elsewhere in Europe.
In Greece, gale-force winds fuelled fires across several areas on Saturday (1 August), forcing evacuations as authorities warned of extreme wildfire risks in parts of the country.
Near Porto Germeno, northwest of Athens, firefighters, police and ambulances withdrew as flames and smoke engulfed forests and shrubland. Officials said strong winds, with gusts exceeding 73 kph, made the fire difficult to control.
Authorities ordered evacuations in areas including Agia Paraskevi, Kryo Pigadi and Agios Nektarios, while helicopters dropped water and fire retardants to slow the spread.
In southeastern France, a wildfire in the Var department reignited after being brought under control, forcing authorities to evacuate nearly 2,500 people on Friday (31 July). Officials said the fire had burned around 1,800 hectares before stabilising again.
Spain also faced several wildfire hotspots, with conditions worsening in the northern province of Leon. In Zamora and Castellon, however, some fires improved, allowing evacuated residents to return home.
Scientists have linked Europe’s worsening wildfire seasons to prolonged heatwaves, dry conditions and climate change, which have increased the risk and intensity of fires across the region.
Yemen's air force carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets earlier on Friday, Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Spokesman for t...
The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus and European partners have put a six-wheeled Mars rover prototype through its paces in Spain’s Tabern...
Azerbaijan won 22 medals, including seven gold, at the Mingachevir Regatta 2026 as more than 100 young rowers from 12 countries competed in the int...
Yemen's air force carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets earlier on Friday, Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, said. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis denied targeting a power plant supplying energy to a mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel may participate in the investigation into a serious incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, while investigators examine the motive of the co-pilot involved.
Swiss glaciers lost more than 5 per cent of their ice in 2026, making it one of their worst years on record as a dry winter and repeated heatwaves accelerated melting across the Alps.
Passengers from a flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft have arrived safely in Israel.
Russia has warned NATO that it would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted to isolate Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, according to a diplomatic document seen by Reuters.
A retired Australian builder has arrived in Baku in his 1929 Pontiac Roadster during an epic journey from Bangkok to Istanbul, using the nearly century-old car to raise money for Parkinson’s research.
Around 400 schools across France remained closed on Friday as protests over teacher shortages and deteriorating buildings escalated into violence, leaving dozens injured and leading to 2,000 arrests.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow wanted to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations as soon as possible, while insisting that any settlement must meet conditions acceptable to Russia and include security guarantees.
The family of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen fatally shot by an immigration agent in Minneapolis in January, has sued the Trump administration, accusing federal officials of excessive force and unconstitutional conduct.
Ukraine is working to resolve a diplomatic dispute with South Korea after Kyiv publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Thursday, 1 October.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment