Thousands of evacuees return home as firefighters contain Spain's blazes

Thousands of Spaniards evacuated during massive wildfires started to return home on Wednesday as the government said it was working to contain some of the worst forest fires in the country's modern history.

Officials in France and Spain say wildfires in the countries have been mostly contained, but there are fears a new heatwave could reignite the flames.

BORDEAUX, France/ONDA, Spain, July 28 - Firefighters raced on Tuesday to subdue huge wildfires that have forced unprecedented evacuations of tens of thousands of people across France and Spain, as Western Europe braced for another heatwave.

Emmanuel Macron warns that ‘we have to hold out’ as fires burn near city; Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez warns of ‘difficult hours’ ahead France and Spain race to contain huge wildfires before fresh heatwave begins The return of searing temperatures, from today in France and tomorrow in Spain, will complicate e

With firefighters stretched thin, volunteers put themselves at risk, using water tanks, hoses and tractors to hold back flames from villages and farms in southwestern France.

The blazes, fuelled by extreme heat and drought, have forced 60,000 people to evacuate, as firefighters race to contain them before temperatures climb as high as 42°C.

Spain has two crucial days in front of it to bring wildfires under control before weather conditions worsen, authorities said Monday, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on citizens to "exercise extreme caution" ahead of a new heatwave. FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris reports.

A raging wildfire in southwest France forced the evacuation of 55,000 people overnight Sunday, bringing the total forced out of their homes to a staggering 220,000 in one region alone, as flames crept ever closer to the wine region city of Bordeaux. Neighboring Spain oversaw its own fire evacuations on the country's ea