Officials Have Described It As the ‘worst Fire in the History of the Region’ Riving Away From Her Home in the Wealthy Resort

Officials have described it as the ‘worst fire in the history of the region’ Officials have described it as the ‘worst fire in the history of the region’ riving away from her home in the wealthy resort town of Lège-Cap Ferret, Marion Girault-Rime was suddenly overwhelmed by the smell of smoke. She was left speechless as cinders blew across her car windscreen like “raining ash”, with bright-red flames erupting and a towering pillar of black smoke billowing 20km in the distance. The scene was “frightening and spectacular ”, she says.

“I still stink of smoke, the 53-year-old marketing business owner tells The Independent from her friend’s home in Bordeaux. “My car stinks of smoke. I don’t think I will ever get the smell out.

Marion, like her neighbours, was awoken at around 4am on Friday morning by an emergency alert on her phone that instructed every citizen in the town to evacuate immediately. The government website provides the following advice for those affected by wildfires in Madrid and Avila in Spain: “Spanish authorities have declared a national emergency because of wildfires in parts of Madrid and Ávila. There are also reports of wildfires in other inland areas of Spain.

“If you are in an area affected by a wildfire: The government website provides further information here. A traffic jam of vehicles evacuating Saint-Aubain-de-Medoc as a wildfire burns nearby amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 25, 2026. French police officers on motorcycles give directions to drivers stuck in traffic during the evacuation after wildfires in the area forced thousands of tourists to evacuate on July 24, 2026 in Arcachon, France. A traffic jam of vehicles evacuating Saint-Aubain-de-Medoc as a wildfire burns nearby amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 25, 2026. Prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said that over 1.5 million masks would be delivered to Gironde in France on Friday.

In a post on X, he wrote: “1.5 million FFP2 masks will be delivered to Gironde tonight to protect personnel on the ground and populations exposed to harmful smoke. A man rests at the Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre, which has been turned into a shelter for people displaced by a wildfire burning nearby amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, in Bordeaux, France, July 25, 2026. Spanish and French officials have warned that strong winds on Saturday are likely to exacerbate the fires. Government official Francisco Martin, told reporters that emergency efforts on Saturday would be “difficult” as "the wind is expected to rise in the morning, with rather erratic gusts" in comments on Friday. Landes prefect Gilles Clavreul said the fire would not be extinguished by the end of Friday due to winds reaching 50km/h (31mph) and high temperatures of 36-37C. French president Emmanuel Macron has ordered the country’s army to help with the wildfires raging across the country after barely recovering from a record-breaking heatwave.”””””