France and Spain continued battling major wildfires Tuesday as rising temperatures, low humidity and shifting winds threatened to reignite flames and hamper containment efforts.
In southwestern France, the Gironde megafire remained stabilized but uncontrolled after burning 42,000 hectares (103,784 acres) since July 22, with no increase in the affected area overnight, according to local authorities.
Several flare-ups north of Le Porge and Cap-Ferret were brought under control, but Gironde Prefect Sophie Brocas warned that the situation remained “highly unpredictable,” BFMTV reported.
Temperatures were forecast to reach 35C (95F) in Gironde and 37C (98.6F) in the neighboring Landes department, while changing wind directions could make the fire’s behavior difficult to predict.
Around 2,750 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel, 1,440 members of the security forces and 18 aircraft were deployed to battle the blaze.
Lt. Col. Olivier Cravata of the Gironde Fire and Rescue Service said crews were seeking to secure the fire’s perimeter before conditions deteriorated later in the day.
“We have 130 kilometers (81 miles) to deal with,” he said.
Seven French departments were placed under an orange alert for a high risk of forest fires.
Volunteer firefighter Laurent Masson, 38, was killed “in the line of duty” when the fire engine he was driving skidded off the road in Bouches-du-Rhone. Four firefighters were slightly injured in a separate accident in the Var department.
In Spain, firefighters faced critical hours ahead of the country’s fourth heat wave of the summer.
Fires have burned about 50,000 hectares in Avila, 28,000 in Madrid and 8,500 in Castellon. The total area burned nationwide has reached 172,400 hectares this year, according to public broadcaster RTVE.
More than 180,000 people remained evacuated or confined across Spain.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska described the Avila blaze as “the most significant and most aggressive fire in Spain’s history.”
More than 400 emergency personnel worked overnight to contain the Valdemaqueda fire in Madrid before southerly winds were expected to intensify.
Temperatures were forecast to reach 36-38C across much of Spain and exceed 40C (104F) in the Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys.
