The European Union said it deployed aircraft and firefighting personnel to France and Spain on July 27 as major wildfires drove one of Europe's largest recent evacuation operations.\n\nThe European Commission's civil-protection office said more than 300,000 people had been displaced across the two countries. Firefighting teams from other European states had already been positioned in the region before the emergency and were reinforced through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.\n\nIn the Bordeaux metropolitan area, local authorities opened emergency accommodation at the exhibition centre for evacuees unable to stay with relatives or friends. The city said beds, water, hot drinks and meals were being provided with help from the French Red Cross, local government and a civic reserve.\n\nThe Associated Press reported that heat and limited rainfall contributed to the extreme fire conditions. Officials were still assessing losses, and changing winds meant evacuation totals and containment estimates could change quickly.\n\nSource: European Commission Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations — https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/news-stories/news/eu-sends-planes-and-firefighters-wildfires-ravage-france-and-spain-2026-07-27_en\n\nSource: Bordeaux Métropole — https://www.bordeaux-metropole.fr/actualites/incendies-en-gironde-accueil-personnes-evacuees\n\nSource: Associated Press — https://apnews.com/article/cb1e5877e1c7e4acbb80a8d9c2049f03