Wildfires Rage Across Europe, North Africa, and Canada

Wildfires are burning across Europe, North Africa, and Canada, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. Firefighters are working around the clock to stop the flames, but extreme heat and dry weather are making their job very difficult. Countries like France, Spain, Algeria, and Canada are all dealing with dangerous fires at the same time.

In France, forest fires moved close to the edges of Bordeaux, a famous historic city known for its wine. About 220,000 people — including tourists and residents — had to leave the area. Temperatures in Bordeaux were expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), which is about 7 degrees higher than normal for this time of year. French President Emmanuel Macron called in the military to help exhausted firefighters. The extreme heat had already caused nearly 6,000 extra deaths across France.

In neighboring Spain, nearly 100,000 people were told to leave their homes because of the fires. Both France and Spain were bracing for another heatwave expected later in the week. It has been one of the hottest and driest summers Western Europe has seen in a long time. Officials warned that conditions were making the fires spread faster and farther than usual.

The head of Avincis, Europe's largest aerial firefighting company, said the continent is not prepared for wildfire seasons that are getting longer and more extreme. CEO John Boag said that firefighting planes are now needed almost the whole year, not just in summer. He also said that there are not enough aircraft or pilots to meet the growing demand. 'Globally, fire seasons are getting longer, aircraft are not moving between areas and pilots are becoming harder and harder to get,' Boag said.

In North Africa, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia were also battling wildfires. Algeria's Civil Protection unit said it put out 34 of 56 fires recorded across the country. In Tunisia, crews were fighting a wildfire that started over the weekend in a forested area. Moroccan authorities put out fires that burned about 12 hectares (30 acres) of forest, and no one was reported hurt.

Scientists are also warning that a coming 'super' El Niño weather event could make things much worse in Africa. El Niño is a natural weather pattern that can cause severe droughts, floods, and storms. One expert said the event could shrink affected countries' economies by 1% to 2%, costing the continent between $10 billion and $20 billion. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia are seen as especially at risk because they have less access to electricity and cooling.

In Canada, about 878 fires were burning as of Tuesday. More than 3.7 million hectares had already burned in 2026 so far — an enormous amount of land. Evacuation orders were still in place for several First Nations communities in places like northwestern Ontario. Hugh Murdoch, an Incident Commander near Kimberley, British Columbia, said there was no sign of relief coming from the weather anytime soon.