France wildfires live: Emergency response chief says 'all of Europe' could be engulfed

France wildfires live: Emergency response chief says 'all of Europe' could be engulfed Wildfires have ravaged parts of Spain and France and the head of the EU's Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre warned that other countries could be next Europe's emergency response chief has warned that the continent could be engulfed if wildfires continue. Speaking to reporters, Maria Zuber, head of the EU's Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre said that wildfires could engulf "all of Europe" within days. Her warning comes as wildfires ravage France, Spain, Greece and Portugal. "The next risk, it's already moving to Greece and also Central Europe," she told reporters. "Greece for the moment was spared, and now we see that it will go to Greece," she added. "Italy will face risk at the beginning of August, and we will need to see what will happen with the Iberian Peninsula, because if (it is) there as well, we will have all Europe on fire." This comes as three firefighters lost their lives while tackling wildfires in Greece as high winds have seen blazes spread across Crete and mainland Greece after days of devastation in elsewhere on the continent. Key Events George and Amal Clooney have been forced to evacuate their home in Brignoles, in the southeast of France as wildfires ravage parts of Europe. According to People, the Clooneys wrote a letter to Brignoles Mayor Didier Brémond addressing the wildfires. "Dear Didier, at this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment," the letter began. "As we evacuate Brignoles we want to emphasise two things, first we hope you and the people of our city are safe and second that Amal and I are committed to making sure that whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we'll be part of making it whole." "Italy will face risk at the beginning of August, and we will need to see what will happen with the Iberian Peninsula, because if (it is) there as well, we will have all Europe on fire," Maria Zuber, head of the EU's Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre has warned. The wildfires in Spain have forced a community of Augustinian nuns to evacuate their monastery, The Catholic Weekly reports. A statement from July 27 said the sisters of the Monastery of the Conversion in Sotillo de la Adrada were evacuated July on July 25 and "had no choice but to leave the monastery." "We especially ask for prayers for all the volunteers and security forces who are tirelessly working to extinguish the fires," the statement read. Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters responded to the blaze in an East London suburb on the evening of Wednesday, July 29. Around four hectares of grassland was alight. France saw heatwave records in the southwest of the country as wildfires continue to rage. Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze) recorded 42.2°C, while Tarbes crossed the 40°C threshold for the first time in its history, with 40.2°C, after nearly 80 years of meteorological records. Huge flames and clouds of smoke can be seen rising from widfire in the Balikesir area of Turkey. Firefighters have been tackling the blaze in the north of the country while there are similar fires in the south which are in tourist areas like Antalya. Water has been dropped on the flames while firefighters are also tackling the blaze from the ground. Hundreds of firefighters have also been battling flames in the southern Mugla province, with more than 20 planes and helicopters dousing the flames, the agriculture ministry said. Two firefighters have died while battling a wildfire in the Rethymno region of Crete, Greece’s fire department said. They were among about 125 firefighters confronting flames fanned by strong winds, with four helicopters and four water-dropping planes deployed. The circumstances of their deaths were not immediately clear. The department said they died “in the line of duty to protect the lives and property of citizens and the natural environment.” A third firefighter was found dead later outside the perimeter of a separate wildfire in the Peloponnese. Today is predicted by the French national weather agency to have been the hottest and driest day of the week, with elevated wildfire danger across every region of France. Drought now covers mainland France and Corsica, with soils nearing the record dryness reached in August 2022. Smoke from the Gironde and Landes fires also pushed particulate pollution higher across both departments, regional air-quality monitors said. Gironde is France’s biggest wildfire battle, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said, with the advance of major fires in the Landes and Var regions halted. The Gironde fire has forced 220,000 people to flee at the peak of the crisis, tens of thousands have since been allowed home, but authorities warned that the danger had not passed. Extreme heat strips moisture from vegetation and drives down humidity, turning grasses, brush and forest litter into faster-burning fuel. Investigators believe contractors working near a high-voltage line for power-grid operator Enedis ignited the blaze while using a brush-cutting machine, Bordeaux prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul said. A level two extreme warning has been issued for wildfires in Fermoselle, Zamora, and surrounding areas. The Civil Guard said: "Evacuation and relocation of residents from several localities is underway, including the evacuation of the Muga de Sayago Nursing Home. "Exercise extreme caution and facilitate passage to emergency services." There are four levels from 0-3. More than 2,200 firefighters and over 20 aircraft are mobilised to tackle flames in the south of France. “We strike quickly and strike hard at any new smoke emissions,” Gironde fire commander Matthieu Jomain said. Beyond the command centre in Lege, civilians were trying to hold the line themselves. At Souge, volunteers flooded the edges of dirt tracks while a local digger driver plowed through still-burning soil, trying to keep flames from crossing back when the expected west wind arrived. In Lacanau, residents pumped water from a lake into tanks headed for hot spots and firefighters’ cisterns. “If one day the fire starts in our neck of the woods, I know very well that all the people here would do the same for us,” said Flavien Dubuch, 33, who drove from Saint-Émilion with his father to help. Firefighters are battling a wildfire in south-west France which covers an area four times the size of Paris as temperatures were forecast to reach 40C. Authorities in the Gironde region said the blaze had not spread further during a calm night but warned that forecast heat and winds could cause the flames to surge again. The landscape was so combustible that investigators believe routine brush-clearing work near a high-voltage line may have sparked the inferno, even though the work appeared to comply with regulations. A fire has reignited in the Var region, in the Jausseranne area, with 200 firefighters mobilised along with six firefighting helicopters and three more Canadair planes. The prefecture wrote on X: "Around 5 PM, a fire broke out in the Jausseranne area near the landfill southeast of Brignoles. It is currently heading north. 200 firefighters are mobilized, supported by 6 water-bomber helicopters and 3 Canadairs. "Do not go to the area. Priority to emergency services." Residents have been evacuated from seven towns near Bermillo de Sayago due to the advance of a forest fire Emergency services have also ordered the lockdown of Fermoselle, a municipality that has also been placed under lockdown, and images show huge flames ripping through the vegetation. The evacuated towns are: Cibanal, Formariz, Fornillos de Fermoselle, Palazuelos de Sayago, Pinilla de Fermoselle, Mámoles, and Záfara, where residents should go to Bermillo de Sayago. Authorities have reported an active forest fire in the Toledo municipality of Villamuelas. To control this outbreak, three aircraft, five ground vehicles and 30 forest firefighters and environmental agents have been deployed, reported the Forest Fire Prevention and Extinction Service of Castilla-La Mancha. Authorities have reported an active forest fire in the Toledo municipality of Villamuelas. To control this outbreak, three aircraft, five ground vehicles and 30 forest firefighters and environmental agents have been deployed, reported the Forest Fire Prevention and Extinction Service of Castilla-La Mancha. Authorities in Greece have said there is a "very high fire risk" for Thursday in the following areas: - Attica Region (including the island of Kythira) - Peloponnese Region (Corinthia Region, Argolida Region, Arcadia Region, Laconia Region) - Region of Central Greece (Region of Boeotia, Region of Fthiotida, Region of Phocis, Region of Evia, including the island of Skyros) - North Aegean Region (Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria) - South Aegean Region (Regional Units of Cyclades) - Region of Crete People have been told to be very careful to avoid actions which could lead to fire and also follow the latest information from emergency services. A wildfire is raging through a forest on Crete, with two firefighters killed. Evacuation orders are in place for five villages as high winds have fanned the flames. The firefighters were killed as they fought wildfire in the Krya Vrisi area of Rethymno. More evacuations have been ordered on the island of Lesbos and Peloponnese in southern Greece due to fire. A major fire has broken out north of the seaside resort of Lanton, in Gironde which is being tackled by emergency services and volunteers. Three Canadair water bombers are on site where a fire is ripping through a cornfield next to a forest, driven by winds and black smoke can be seen rising into the sky. "The objective is still to protect the houses," a firefighter told local media, with the aim of bringing the blaze under control. A scorching heatwave could force a nuclear power plant in south-west France to shut down for a second time this month. Operations at the Golfech nuclear power plant in the Tarn-et-Garonne department resumed on Sunday (July 26). The site's only operating reactor was shut down on July 9 for 17 days after temperatures in the River Garonne - which supplies the plant's cooling water - approached the regulatory limit of 28C. A spokesperson for France's state-owned electricity company, EDF, said at the time: "Weather conditions over the last few days have led to a significant rise in the temperature of the Garonne (river), which is expected to reach 28C this Friday July 10. “As a precautionary measure, production unit No. 2 at EDF's Golfech nuclear power station was shut down on Thursday July 9 at 11:30 a.m." Because nuclear plants use river water for cooling and discharge it at higher temperatures, EDF is required under French environmental regulations to ensure it does not discharge water that could harm aquatic ecosystems. In an update this morning, authorities in Gironde said wildfire conditions overnight had been "calm" and that the wildfire had not spread. The blaze, however, remains uncontained a week after it first broke out in a pine forest near the village of Saumos, about 25 miles west of Bordeaux. Soaring temperatures and strengthening winds are expected to increase the risk of the flames flaring up again. If you said you're worried, it's important to remember that British holidaymakers have been advised not to cancel their holidays until they've heard from their travel provider. More on this from reporter Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas. Authorities in the Gironde region said the blaze had not spread overnight, but rising heat and afternoon winds could revive smoldering hot spots, carry embers across firebreaks and open new fronts beyond crews' reach. More than 2,200 firefighters and over 20 aircraft remained mobilised, backed by crews from across France and European partners. "We strike quickly and strike hard at any new smoke emissions," Gironde fire commander Matthieu Jomain said. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Sunday that since the start of the year, wildfires in France have burned "far more than anything we have seen in the past". More than 116,000 hectares of land have been burned in France in 2026, including the 42,000 hectares ravaged in the Gironde region over the past week. Morgane Bonichot was jolted awake by a mobile phone alert reading "URGENT" and "Evacuate now" in the early hours of Saturday. The 40-year-old childcare worker quickly bundled up her nine-year-old daughter, their rabbit and their dog before fleeing their home in Saint-Jean-d’Illac, a town west of Bordeaux. "We left just like that," Bonichot told The Associated Press today. "My car had broken down, so neighbours had to drive me, along with my little girl and the animals. But one of the neighbours had a cat, and with the smell of the rabbit it became very complicated. So she had to drop me off." After spending a few days with Bonichot's mother, the pair moved to a huge exhibition centre in Bordeaux that has been converted into a temporary shelter by city authorities. It has camp beds, food, medical and veterinary care and clothing, along with volunteers doing everything they can to make people comfortable. "It makes me very worried about the future because year after year it's getting worse," she said. "It's going to be a catastrophe." A man "posing" as a psychologist allegedly approached evacuees staying at Bordeaux's Parc des Expositions and offered paid counselling sessions, Sky News reports. France's National Police told the broadcaster officers arrested the man, who allegedly claimed to be a volunteer psychologist despite not being a licensed professional. Several days earlier, two men were arrested for allegedly "stealing food supplies" intended for those affected by the wildfires, Sky News reports. "Eight days of fighting behind them, but the battle continues," SDIS 33, the Gironde Fire and Rescue Service, said today in the caption of an Instagram post showing a video of firefighters tackling flames. "Teams are working their way through the area metre by metre, tracking down the last remaining hotspots and continuing to extinguish the fire. "There is still work to be done, and firefighters remain fully committed to bringing this blaze to an end." French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said yesterday that the country's internal security forces have arrested 184 people on suspicion of arson since the start of the summer. "We are showing total determination to find every arsonist: there will be no leniency towards those who endanger lives, put our firefighters at risk and destroy our heritage," he wrote on X. A British family have told how they were left sleeping on a beach and then in a tent in a garden after the wildfires in Gironde forced them to evacuate. Melissa Sood, 33, and her family were evacuated from the seaside town of Biscarrosse, around 40 miles south-west of Bordeaux. The GP practice manager had been on a trip to visit her grandmother alongside her husband Sunny, 42, a police officer, her daughter, 14, and her brother and sister. Melissa said she and her family were initially left stranded on the beach, sleeping on cardboard boxes, until a family friend reached out and said they could camp in their garden in Sanguinet, around seven miles away. She said: "The fire looked like a scene from a disaster movie, it was terrible. We started to hear explosions, from the gas canisters in people's barbecues, it was really eerie. My daughter was really scared. "Our house was evacuated; we had to pull some cardboard boxes out of a recycling bin and use them to try and sleep on the grass. There's no hotels anywhere, we've been sleeping in a tent in a kind French person's garden since Friday, we've had no sleep at all."