Multiple fires erupted in various parts of southern Europe on Wednesday, particularly around Madrid in Spain, in the Calabria and Sicily regions of Italy, and in Provence and the Bordeaux area of France.

In Spain, authorities on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of several areas around the city of Toledo, 75 kilometers from the capital, as a massive fire threatened homes. Emergency alerts were sent via mobile phones to residents warning of the fire. The new fire is spreading while hundreds of firefighters battle another massive blaze that has consumed a vast area about 100 kilometers north of Madrid.

Several fires have broken out in Spain over recent days. These forest fires are spreading rapidly, driven by a heatwave that has been suffocating the country for two days. The largest blaze is raging on the opposite side of Madrid, specifically in the province of Guadalajara, about 100 kilometers north of the capital, and has consumed 32,000 hectares since last Thursday.

A massive fire destroyed about 15,000 hectares last week in the province of Zaragoza (northeast), while another fire claimed 13 lives a few days earlier in the province of Almeria (southeast).

In southern Italy, dozens of fires are burning in forests and woodland areas on the island of Sicily, fanned by hot winds. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi announced the death of an Italian firefighter on Wednesday while battling the flames. More than 160 fires were recorded in the past 24 hours in neighboring Calabria.

In France, firefighters are battling two major fires on Wednesday: one in the Gironde department (southwest), where a large fire has swept through more than 1,000 hectares north of the Arcachon basin and continues to spread, and another in the Var department (southeast), where the fire's advance has stopped after burning 2,500 hectares. The fires have forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes as a precaution.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez explained that more than 12,500 fires have broken out since the beginning of the year, burning 44,000 hectares – an area exceeding that recorded in 2022, when fires swept through the southwest of the country.