Spanish authorities lifted wildfire evacuation orders on July 29 across areas of Toledo, Madrid, Ávila, and Castellón, letting tens of thousands of people return home. At the same time, both Spain and France are preparing for a fourth heatwave of the summer (BBC).

In the Madrid region alone, 24,000 people were told they could return after being evacuated, and lockdowns on a further 20,000 were lifted (BBC). The Sierra Oeste wildfire had forced more than 1,300 elderly and disabled residents to leave their homes. The regional government was also monitoring 1,600 people who depend on care at home or at special centres (Comunidad de Madrid). Aldea del Fresno was among the towns evacuated as of July 26 (Comunidad de Madrid).

Despite the lifted restrictions, a wildfire was still burning at Burgohondo, about 150km west of Madrid (BBC). Spain's national weather agency AEMET issued a special heat warning on July 28, forecasting temperatures up to 40°C across mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands, with the alert lasting through July 29 (AEMET).

This summer has already been unusually hot. June 2026 was the second-warmest June ever recorded in Spain, with temperatures 3.2°C above the monthly average. Only June 2025 was warmer (AEMET). Wildfires had burned more than 152,000 hectares across Spain as of July 21. For context, one hectare is roughly the size of a sports field, so that is an enormous area (EFE). In Castellón, the Soneja fire was brought under control on July 6 after burning 183 hectares, though evacuees could not yet return at that point (EFE).

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska urged calm on July 28 and recommended face masks for evacuees returning home, to protect against smoke particles in the air (EFE). The Madrid regional government strengthened its healthcare network in response to the fires and set aside 160 million euros for a Forest Plan running from 2026 through 2030 (Comunidad de Madrid).

In France, the situation is equally tense. Météo-France, the country's weather service, called the incoming heat the fourth very-high-heat episode of the summer and the 54th national heatwave recorded since 1947 (Météo-France). Sixteen departments were under orange heatwave alerts, including Landes in the south (BBC). Officials in south-west France warned of dry winds and temperatures reaching 41°C (106°F).

The largest fires in the Gironde region of south-west France were described as "still stabilised" despite several flare-ups (BBC). A mega-fire near Bordeaux was "globally stable" but still out of control as of July 27 (EFE). Blandine Sarrazin, mayor of Le Barp south-west of Bordeaux, warned the situation was "getting harder" after two fires broke out the day before (BBC).

A particularly sensitive part of the Gironde response involves special measures to protect sites linked to France's defence and aerospace industries. These include "Seveso" classified sites that manufacture hazardous materials for missiles and rockets (BBC). The Seveso label comes from EU rules and applies to facilities that handle dangerous substances in large enough amounts to require strict accident-prevention measures. Having major wildfires near these sites adds an industrial-safety worry on top of what is already a health and environmental crisis.

Météo-France has also noted that the June 2026 heatwave in France reached an intensity never before observed (Météo-France).

The broader concern is that repeated heatwaves pile on top of each other. Each wave dries out vegetation further, stretches firefighting resources thinner, and strains emergency-response systems. The lifting of evacuation orders in Spain offers residents relief, but the approach of a fourth heatwave, combined with active fires still burning on both sides of the Pyrenees, means the situation could change quickly.