Europe is currently facing another surge of devastating wildfires, with intense flames engulfing areas in France and Spain. These fires have caused chaos, prompting frantic evacuations among tourists, and have tragically claimed the life of a woman in her residence.

This crisis occurs amid an intense heatwave that grips the continent, with several nations experiencing record-breaking temperatures. Experts are raising alarms about the increasing effects of climate change.

In the southern region of France, a rapidly spreading wildfire has ravaged approximately 13,000 hectares, an area comparable in size to Paris, according to local authorities on Wednesday.

The blaze, believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette butt, has destroyed or damaged 25 homes in the Aude department, where 1,500 firefighters have been battling to extinguish it.

A woman died in her home and two people were injured, one of whom is now in critical condition with severe burns, according to the Aude prefecture. The blaze marks the biggest in France in a summer which has already seen some 9,000 fires, mainly along its Mediterranean coast.

Meanwhile, a dramatic forest fire near a beach resort in southern Spain also forced the evacuation of around 1,500 tourists and locals in a blaze that one official called ‘the fastest-spreading fire I’ve ever seen’.

Hundreds of people were said to have bunkered down in a shelter in Algeciras after being evacuated from hotels and homes near the fire in Tarifa, as beach bars and campsites were abandoned in the chaos.

Firefighters were still working to extinguish the fire on Wednesday, having battled through the night to control the blaze that required a team of up to 17 aircraft. 

Trees burn during a dramatic wildfire near Narbonne, southern France on August 6

Cars drive past a fast-moving wildfire in a Mediterranean region of France near the Spanish border

Meanwhile in Spain, the flames are spreading in the hills of Torre de la Peña, behind the hugely popular resort of Tarifa

The woman who died in France was a 65-year-old who lived alone, according to French media, whose house was engulfed by the flames.

‘The resident absolutely wanted to stay in her house and unfortunately the fire quickly arrived and engulfed her house,’ the mayor of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, Xavier de Volontat, said.  

‘People are losing everything,’ said Aude Damesin, who lives in the town of Fabrezan. ‘I find it tragic to see so many fires since the beginning of the summer.’

‘The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control,’ said Remi Recio, an official in the southern city of Narbonne.

The Aude department in particular – a rural and wooded area – has seen an increase in areas burnt in recent years, aggravated by low rainfall and the removal of vineyards, which used to help brake the advance of fires. 

‘The fire is advancing in an area where all the conditions are ripe for it to progress. We are monitoring the edges and the back of the fire to prevent flare-ups,’ said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture.

The fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute. Planes were dropping water on the flames but Roesch warned ‘this fire will keep us busy for several days. It’s a long-term operation’.

Tourists sit on the beach as the smoke from wildfires raging in the Aude department is seen from the Mediterranean coast in Banyuls-sur-Mer, southwestern France, on August 5

The wildfire in the Corbieres massif, southern France, where one person has died and several others have been injured

This photo provided by Meteo France shows smoke billowing from a wild fire in southern France, Tuesday, August 5

Trees burn during a wildfire at sunrise near Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, near Narbonne, southern France

A water bomber plane dropping water on the wildfire in the Corbieres massif, southern France

This photograph shows burnt vehicles in an area devastated by a wildfire near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France

Burnt veichles are seen due to a wildfire that broke out in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, southwestern France

This photograph shows the remains of a home where a woman died due a wildfire brokes out in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabreriss

A burnt van is seen in front of a home burned due to a wildfire brokes out in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse

A firefighting vehicle drives past houses near an area devastated by a wildfire near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France

 One person was seriously burned and another injured, the prefecture said, adding that seven firefighters were also hurt.

‘All of the Nation’s resources are mobilised,’ French President Emmanuel Macron said on X, while calling on people to exercise ‘the utmost caution’. 

Camping grounds and one village were partially evacuated, and several local roads have been closed.

The fires have spread through a stretch of land roughly equivalent to the size of the French capital between Carcassonne and Narbonne.

Four Canadairs, two Dashes and a water bomber helicopter resumed service around 7 am on Wednesday morning to fight the flames, as 100 police officers supported the effort.

Meanwhile in Spain, the flames are spreading in the hills of Torre de la Peña, behind the hugely popular resort of Tarifa. 

According to the Andalucia firefighter service INFOCA, there are gusts of 20-25km/hr that are favouring the fire’s spread.

The fire is snaking very close to the N-340 highway and the Estrecho Natural Park – the former of which has been partially closed between Las Piñas and Pedro Valiente. 

Multiple aircraft have been roped in to tackle the inferno, which took hold in Cadiz in Andalusia on Tuesday afternoon

All bars, restaurants or hotels have been evacuated between La Peña and Casas de Porros, reports local newspaper Europa Sur.

According to the local police, the fire started in a motorhome at the Torre la Peña campsite, which also had to be evacuated.

The flames then blew westward, away from the campsite, and spread rapidly through a hilly and grassland area where homes and tourist establishments are scattered – including the Wawa Hotel, which is reported to have been affected by the fire.

Several beach bars and ‘chiringuitos’ have also been evacuated due to the large amounts of ash being carried down to the shore.

Some 17 aircraft have been roped in to tackle the inferno, which took hold in Cadiz in Andalusia on Tuesday afternoon. The current firefighting operation involves five helicopters, two water-carrying planes and a coordination plane, five forest fire ground crews and more.

Tarifa Mayor Antonio Santos has described the situation as unprecedented. ‘This is the fastest-spreading fire I’ve ever seen,’ he said on national channel La Sexta.

Tarifa is often branded a ‘surfer’s paradise’ due to its extremely wide beaches and tall waves. 

According to the Andalucia firefighter service INFOCA, there are gusts of 20-25km/hr that are favouring the fire’s spread

The blaze was first reported at around 4pm on Tuesday

According to the local police, the fire started in a motorhome at the Torre la Peña campsite, which also had to be evacuated

Hundreds of the people evacuated from hotels and homes by the fire were said to have spent the night in a hostel in Algeciras, while droves found shelter in a La Marina sports centre in Tarifa as 5,000 fled the area in cars.

Fire stations from elsewhere in the province including Chiclana, Benalup and Los Barrios sent troops to assist the effort against the blaze in Tarifa, as attempts are being concentrated on controlling the fire on the north and east flanks.

It comes just days after blazes erupted in Portugal, Greece, and Spain, while tornadoes struck tourist hotspots in parts of Spain and Switzerland.

Thousands of firefighters battled a dozen wildfires raging in northern Portugal and central Spain into Wednesday, in the largest wave of blazes in the Iberian Peninsula so far this year following weeks of summer heat. 

The largest wildfire burned in the wooded, mountainous Arouca area – some 300 km (185 miles) north of Lisbon – since Monday, leading to the closure of the scenic trails of Passadicos do Paiva, a popular tourist attraction.

Some 800 firefighters and seven waterbombing aircraft tackled the blaze.

‘There was a huge effort during the night, so now we have a somewhat calmer situation,’ Civil Protection Commander Helder Silva told reporters, cautioning that shifting strong winds and a difficult terrain meant their work was far from over.

‘It’s a very large wildfire in areas with difficult access,’ he said.

Further north, a blaze raged from Saturday in the Peneda-Geres national park near the Spanish border, enveloping nearby villages in thick smoke that led to orders for residents to stay at home.

Portuguese firefighters managed to control two large fires that started on Monday in the central areas of Penamacor and Nisa.

Authorities said the Penamacor blaze had destroyed 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of forest. 

British tourists were put on alert as Greece wildfires spread amid a 44C heatwave in late July, causing homes to go up in flames in the coastal towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Athens.

Some 145 firefighters, 44 fire engines, ten firefighting planes and seven helicopters were deployed on site as residents of the town of Kryoneri, 12.5miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS warnings to evacuate on July 26.