EU deploys 11 firefighting aircraft to Spain as wildfires burn in France and Portugal

The European Union will deploy 11 firefighting aircraft to Spain by Wednesday as wildfires burn across Spain, France and Portugal and forecasters warn of another Spanish heatwave.

EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said nine aircraft from the bloc’s strategic reserve were already operating in Spain, with two more due to arrive.

Spanish firefighters reported progress overnight against fires west of Madrid that have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska described the night as positive, but Spain’s AEMET weather agency warned that rising temperatures and falling humidity would create very high or extreme fire risks across almost the entire country.

A new heatwave is expected to begin on Wednesday and continue until the end of the week.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged people to exercise extreme caution, warning that Spain faced difficult and complex conditions.

In southwestern France, authorities said a major wildfire in Gironde had not advanced overnight.

President Emmanuel Macron, visiting a crisis centre in Bordeaux, warned that the country faced difficult weeks ahead.

A second major fire farther south in the Landes region had been contained but remained a threat. The blaze forced 30,000 people to evacuate, although 15,000 were later allowed to return.

In Portugal, several fires were burning across northern and central regions.

More than 1,000 firefighters and other emergency personnel were battling the flames with support from about 20 planes and helicopters.