Malu Cursino
Live reporter

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

France

• "David against Goliath". That's how firefighters in France have been describing their efforts to tackle blazes spreading in the country's forests
• A "significant flare-up" in Lège-Cap Ferret, west of Bordeaux, was announced this afternoon as evacuation orders for the coastal area remain in effect and people are urged not to return
• Up to 220,000 people were evacuated in the Gironde region, while 30,000 more were evacuated from the neighbouring Landes region

Spain

• Meanwhile, in Spain, officials warn of challenges ahead as the new heatwave takes hold. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says the country cannot afford to let its guard down
• While firefighters are still tackling some blazes, residents in some Spanish areas are now able to return home

Portugal

• Portugal is also on high alert as firefighters near the village of Rabaça, near the Spanish border, tackle large flames

UK

• The UK is on the edge of a huge area of high pressure covering most of Europe. Temperatures on Wednesday are forecast to reach 30C in the Midlands and Lincolnshire but East Anglia and southern England might get even hotter, up to 35C

We're ending this live page for the day, but you can continue reading with our latest stories:

• 'It's a hell of a situation': Spain grapples with devastating wildfires
• Gironde wildfires flare up as French region braces for new 40C heatwave
• Devastating European wildfires in maps - and how they're being tackled

Drought and intense heat have made for perfect wildfire conditions in western Europe, with another heatwave on the way.

Here are some of the latest images from blazes raging on the continent.

France

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Spain

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

Portugal

Image source, EPA

Alex Emery
Senior journalist, Your Voice

Image source, Mia Matillon

Mia’s coffee shop, the Coffee Spot, is in the heart of Cotignac, in south-eastern France.

She says it has been a source of comfort for people after fire ravaged surrounding areas.

Mia has made coffee for many people in her community, including firefighters and people who have lost everything to the fire.

She opened the shop after the fire because she says she knew people would need a place of support and joy. She adds that many people are still in "shock" that it happened so close to the village.

“The centre of the village had no electricity. We could not open windows as the smoke was so thick, so it was so hot."

She says that although the atmosphere is "a bit sad", it's a place where people can meet and are staying positive.

“It’s nice to see a good side of human beings, helping the unlucky ones."

Can we fend off wildfires with nature?published at 17:19 BST 28 July

17:19 BST 28 July

Victoria Gill
Science correspondent, BBC News

Image source, Paul Turner / RSPB Scotland

Wildfires on the scale of those in France, Spain and elsewhere in Europe are less likely in the UK, but the climate crisis is increasing their probability.

This summer we have seen devastating examples in the Cairngorms and Edinburgh.

The public and volunteers can help prevent wildfires, the charity the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says, because most sparks that start wildfires are linked to human activity.

The RSPB advises people heading for the outdoors to:

• avoid disposable barbecues or open fires
• not throw cigarettes on the ground
• keep glass objects out of direct sunlight – even the glare can start a fire

At its Smithills Estate near Bolton, the Woodland Trust recruits volunteer “firewatch wardens” to walk the site regularly checking for any smoke, flames or fire risk.

And, as our climate heats up, The Wildlife Trusts points out, restoring natural landscapes could also help, external – with more moisture-rich, less flammable wetlands and native woodlands.

Satellite images reveal houses burned to the ground near Bordeauxpublished at 17:11 BST 28 July

17:11 BST 28 July

By Barbara Metzler

BBC Verify has been using high-resolution satellite imagery to assess the damage in Le Porge, west of Bordeaux.

The latest images show extensive damage across the area, with many buildings destroyed or severely damaged by the fire.

Some houses appear to have been completely burned to the ground - others are seen to have been reduced to just their walls.

The surrounding landscape has also been badly affected with large areas of forest and fields scorched by the wildfire. Burn scars are clearly visible in the satellite imagery as dark grey and black areas.

Bordeaux will feel 'apocalyptic' once again as the wind changes and the heat of the wildfires and the heatwave is felt again, says a Bordeaux resident.

Ira Szmuk speaks of the widespread "uncertainty" many are grappling with across the city, saying she's never experienced anything like it in the 10 years she's lived in the city:

Madeleine Lake
Live reporter

Image source, Brandy Clion Inirio

Brandy runs a restaurant with her dad in Lacanau, a coastal town north west of Bordeaux.

What she says is usually one of their busiest times of year has become barren and empty, with tourists receiving an alert today advising them to leave.

For businesses like hers, the wildfires are having a huge impact.

"It's hard for us to see people leaving, and many restaurants closing, we can't pay our staff if we have no customers. I feel stressed and anxious because it's sad to see my city like this, in July, where we should have a lot of people dancing and partying."

Brandy says that on the beach resort, it's sunny, with clear skies, but that Friday looked very different.

Image source, Brandy Clion Inirio

Brandy says it's hard to find the words to describe how she feels: "We don't have a lot of official information here, us locals don't understand why they are telling tourists to leave."

She adds that she has some worries about the wildfires spreading to her area, and saw firefighters near her house.

"I feel uncertain, but we are open because we don't have an order to close, there's not a lot of customers, but we are open to locals, and the few tourists that are choosing to stay."

Image source, Brandy Clion Inirio

Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

A fire management expert says it's "heartbreaking to see the struggle firefighters are fighting in a situation they should not be in".

Alex Held, who works at the German research project Waldbrand Klima Resilienz, says a "perfect cocktail" of weather and fuel has been aiding the fire close to the French city of Bordeaux.

Held criticises "monoculture plantations" with just one species of tree in the area making it easy for the fire to spread.

Preventative measures such as grazing programmes and prescribed burning, which would make it harder for the fire to spread, have not been used enough, he says.

He adds that while aircraft are "very effective in the early minutes of the fire", it does not make sense to begin using planes days into the fire - saying they then turn into just "very expensive water".

Held explains that a solution is needed "from the shepherd, to the farmer, to the forester, to the pilot".

"Have that in one toolbox then we have a system we can call fire management," he says.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Some of the latest pictures we've received from Portugal show firefighters tackling large flames near the village of Rabaça, in the northern district of Guarda - near the Spanish border.

Fires are being treated on three active fronts in the eastern part of the wider district.

The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (Ipma) has put large parts of the country under a very high red fire alert, external, with some areas under the highest warning level.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Darren Bett
BBC weather presenter

Image source, EPA

A huge area of high pressure, or "heat dome" is covering most of Europe and maintaining the dry and hot weather.

Here in the UK we are very much on the edge of all that and the heat is building again across parts of England and Wales.

Temperatures on Wednesday are forecast to reach 30C in the Midlands and Lincolnshire but East Anglia and southern England are likely to be even hotter - up to 35C.

Further north across the UK there is no heatwave, instead, Scotland and Northern Ireland will have more rain on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in south-west France temperatures are expected to reach 39C (102F) this week, and high temperatures are also forecast for Spain.

The Spanish Ministry of the Interior has announced residents in some of the areas affected by the fire will be able to return home from this afternoon.

In a post on X, the Ministry confirms the reopening of Cadalso de los Vidrios, Cenicientos, Navalagamella, Navas del Rey, Rozas de Puerto Real, Aldea de Fresno, Chapineria and Colmenar del Arroyo in the Madrid community.

In the Avila province, Fresnedilla, Burgohondo, Higuera de las Duenas, Pedro Bernardo and Navaluenga sur will also allow residents to come back from 17:00 CEST (16:00 BST).

Lockdown measures will also be lifted in Villa del Prado and San Martin de Valdeiglesias as well as Navaluenga centro and Navas del Marques.

However, the communities of Encinar del Albereche, Costa de Madrid, San Ramon Javacruz, La Javariega and Veracruz will have to remain confined.

Mark Poynting
Climate reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Bordeaux and its surroundings are famed for their vineyards. And while the threat to wine production might pale in significance given the hundreds of thousands of people evacuated, vineyards play a major role in the region’s economy.

Christophe Chateau of the Bordeaux Wine Council told the BBC World Service’s World Business Report on Monday that the fires hadn’t yet hit any vineyards in the region.

But he said there were fears over the coming days because the “fire is moving quite fast and changing direction every day”.

But even if not destroyed, wildfire smoke can also affect the taste of wine - although this depends on the stage of the growing season, among other factors.

Well-managed vineyards can actually play a role in slowing wildfires by breaking up areas of dense vegetation that act as fuel.

The European Commission has described vineyards as “an unexpected ally” in the fight against wildfires – but they are not immune from intense blazes.

Alex Akhurst
Journalist, Your Voice

Image source, Emily van Vliet

Emily van Vliet is from Devon was camping with her family at La Dune Bleue, north-west of Bordeaux.

She arrived on 23 July but decided it was best to leave on 26 July despite originally planning to stay for nine nights "as we just didn't feel safe".

"We could see clouds of smoke over us and the whole sky turned red," van Vliet tells the BBC. She says she could smell the smoke and recalls seeing "huge red clouds" across the lake.

"The campsite kept saying it was safe to stay, but all around us people were leaving. It felt quite eerie," van Vliet says. On their last day, all activities at the lake were closed, including cafes and bars.

Now, van Vliet is in a campsite further away from the blaze, north of La Rochelle, where she feels more relaxed.

Image source, Getty Images

The Red Cross warns that the situation in France and Spain "remains highly volatile as wildfires continue to spread" and another heatwave is on the horizon.

Wildfires are part of "a worsening pattern, not an isolated event", the charity says.

Maria Alcazar Castilla, deputy regional director for Europe at the Red Cross, says: "Heatwaves, drought and wildfires [are] feeding into one another, and communities bearing the consequences."

The humanitarian group's teams in both countries are working "around the clock to provide shelter, relief and care" to thousands who have had to flee their homes.

In Spain, the Red Cross says it has set up 78 emergency shelters, which are hosting more than 4,400 people.

In France, it says volunteers are supporting evacuations, setting up emergency accommodation and providing essential supplies.

Alex Emery
Senior journalist, Your Voice

Image source, Fabien Schmitt

Fabien Schmitt was forced to close his cafe for three days while the fires raged close by, which he says cost him up to €10,000 (£8,550) in lost business.

“We could see the flames from the fire, which was about 3km (1.9 miles) away," he tells me, before adding "it was amazing to see and very scary".

In his village as many as 40 houses were burned, he says.

"The police told me I had to close the cafe and evacuate when the fire was so close."

Fabien says the smoke has cleared now and "we are back open for business, which is good because this is high season".

He adds the local mayor even stopped by for a drink to celebrate being out of the danger zone.

Mitchell Labiak
BBC Business reporter

The UK government has not advised against travel to anywhere in France or Spain, but it does recommend caution.

In France, it says access to affected areas may be restricted and roads may close at short notice. It adds that further evacuations may take place.

For those in an affected area in France or Spain or planning to travel there, the UK government recommends following instructions and updates from local authorities and emergency services at all times.

Travellers should also bear in mind the UK government's advice can and does change in response to events.

Anna-Marie Duthie, travel insurance expert at financial rating firm Defaqto, says that if this happens after you have booked your trip, "you may be covered for cancellation or curtailment".

"You may also be covered for additional travel and accommodation costs should your trip be disrupted due to a catastrophic event, if your insurer offers this cover or you've paid to include it," she adds.

To know if this applies to you, check your policy.

Image source, Getty Images

The UN's climate chief says "climate-driven disasters", such as the wildfires in France and Spain, are a sign of the climate alarm "blaring".

Simon Stiell says the "record-breaking wildfires" in France, Spain and other parts of Europe follow brutal heatwaves that have dried out landscapes.

As temperatures are set to rise again this week, Stiell says "the awful costs of this climate crisis - both human and economic - are now reaching national emergency levels".

The UN climate chief warns that "spiralling disasters are now the lived reality for billions in a world getting rapidly hotter, as humanity moves too slowly from fossil fuels to clean energy and to protect forests".

Nick Beake
Europe correspondent

The battle of Bordeaux is not yet won.

The inferno to the west of the city may have been stabilised - but it's far from out. One senior firefighter in the Gironde area said they were in engaged in a David and Goliath flight - with teams there overpowered but hoping their strategy would prevail.

President Macron has described it as France's worst fire-related crisis since the Second World War. On Spain’s east coast, the fire around Valencia has calmed a little.

The threat to Madrid has also decreased in the last 24 hours but tens of thousands across the affected areas have been displaced. Emergency teams remain at full stretch and are bracing for the fourth heatwave of the summer - with temperatures hitting 40C.

Spain’s weather service is now warning of an “extreme” threat of new fires to come.

Spanish wildfire smoke visible from spacepublished at 13:46 BST 28 July

13:46 BST 28 July

By Barbara Metzler

BBC Verify has been analysing a Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite image showing wildfires and smoke across Spain.

The image, captured yesterday, shows thick smoke plumes stretching across parts of the country, with the largest originating from the wildfire west of Madrid.

Other smoke plumes are also visible near Valencia on Spain's east coast.

Thermal measurements collected by satellite data show that the fires are still burning in both locations.

Taken from hundreds of kilometres above Earth the image shows the scale of the fires and how smoke can travel far beyond the flames, affecting air quality across a much wider area.