Officials said Thursday that more than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight in southwestern France after a rapidly spreading wildfire engulfed nearly 2,000 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux.

Data shows that wildfires in Europe this year have already scorched areas exceeding the annual average of the past two decades, as the continent—the fastest warming in the world—has experienced three intense and closely spaced heatwaves since the beginning of the year.

Two gendarmes in Le Bourg speak with residents as a wildfire devours a forested area in the Gironde region, France, July 23, 2026 - Reuters

Local authorities said 500 firefighters are involved in efforts to contain the blaze, adding that the fire is raging fiercely but no injuries have been reported so far.

Fire near Arcachon Bay

The fire is burning near the Arcachon Bay area, a popular tourist destination, with campers making up a large proportion of those evacuated.

The successive heatwaves that hit Europe in early summer, which many scientists attribute to human-caused climate change, have pushed temperatures to unprecedented levels in large parts of the continent.

These conditions have led to water shortages, damaged crops, wildfires, and excess deaths above normal levels.

Climate deaths

France recorded 5,764 excess deaths between June 17 and July 2 when the country was hit by heatwaves, according to health authorities' data.

BFM TV reported Wednesday that this figure represents a 36% increase in the death rate during that period.

Heat fallout in southern Europe

The impacts of successive heatwaves continue to hit southern Europe, with electricity cut off in Malta's capital Valletta on Wednesday, a day after the prime minister apologized for a wave of power outages that swept the country over several days.

Prime Minister Robert Abela said Tuesday: "I would like to apologize to all those who have been without electricity in the past hours."

Meanwhile, residents in several areas reported spending the night without fans or air conditioning. Media outlets said electricity was also cut off from the prime minister's office, other ministerial offices, and many businesses.