French authorities have ordered the evacuation of the entire Cap Ferret peninsula on the south-west coast, with hundreds of people escaping by boat. The fires, which began on Tuesday, have consumed 10,000 hectares (almost 25,000 acres). Local prefect Sophie Brocas described it as an 'XXL fire' - apparently the usual sizes weren't dramatic enough.

In Spain, the government declared a national emergency as wildfires burned out of control near Madrid. Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the community of Madrid, called it 'the worst fire in the history of the region.' Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described a 'dramatic situation' and urged caution, because nothing says 'take care' like a national emergency.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 40,000 people were being evacuated from the Cap Ferret peninsula. Brocas reported 53 homes lost and a campsite destroyed, but 2,000 houses saved - so that's something, unless you owned one of the 53.

Fire chief Marc Vermeulen compared the fires to 2022, noting the current drought is worse. Fires are now 'exploding' at midnight with propagation speeds of 800 to 1,000 hectares per hour. Because why should fires keep normal hours?

Further south, around Biscarrosse, another major fire forced 23,000 people to evacuate. Landes prefect Gilles Clavreul said 105 homes were partially or completely destroyed. Two firefighters died on Tuesday near Bordeaux airport, but no further casualties were reported.

President Emmanuel Macron called the situation 'very tense,' which is French for 'we're in trouble.' The EU sent three planes and two helicopters to France, plus four planes to Spain - because sharing is caring, especially when everything's on fire.

Evacuees like David Morton from Gloucester described driving slowly with lights on, seeing fires in the distance. Olivia Jarratt, evacuated from Truc Vert campsite, said her daughter was woken by sirens and the family left their tent and gear behind. 'There's only one road off the peninsula,' she noted - a design flaw that becomes obvious only when fleeing a wildfire.

In Spain, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska declared a national emergency as fires merged near Madrid, with 19,000 people evacuated. Fires burned 9,000 hectares in Ávila and 3,000 in Madrid. Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average since the 1980s - so expect more 'record-breaking' fires as we continue to break records we'd rather not set.