Scenes of catastrophe; Europe scorched by devastating wildfires PHOTO/VIDEO

In France, nearly 4,000 people have been evacuated as a precaution from campsites, tourist resorts, and other accommodation facilities in the coastal resort of Lacanau, west of Bordeaux, due to the threat posed by the spread of a major wildfire in the Gironde department. The fire has so far destroyed around 42,000 hectares of forest, The Guardian reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the country is facing its most severe wildfire situation since World War II and warned that "difficult weeks" lie ahead.

Gironde Fire Service Commander Rémi Lasurey said that the wildfire is "relatively under control," but warned that there is still a risk of it spreading toward Lacanau, which led authorities to order the evacuation of tourist facilities.

Tanjug/AP Photo, File

Gironde Prefect Sophie Brocas announced that 14 new flare-ups were recorded on previously burned areas on Tuesday, but said the main wildfire has been stabilized and is no longer spreading, BFM TV reported.

Residents of some evacuated municipalities have been allowed to return home, provided they continue to follow official warnings and remain prepared for a possible new evacuation if the situation worsens.

Meteorologists have warned that temperatures in Gironde and Landes are expected to reach 40°C on Wednesday, accompanied by dry winds that could cause the fires to flare up again.

Tanjug/AP Photo/Emma Da Silva

However, the major wildfire in the Val d'Uixó area of Castellón province remains out of control.

Tanjug/AP Photo/Manu Fernandez

The fire has affected around 10,000 hectares of land across a perimeter of 75.5 kilometers, while around 10,000 people remain evacuated.

Firefighters are trying to prevent the blaze from spreading toward the Sierra de Espadán Natural Park, but weather conditions are making aerial firefighting efforts more difficult.

More than 330,000 people evacuated

Maximilien LAMY / AFP / Profimedia

Across France, Spain, and Italy, around 330,000 people were evacuated last week due to wildfires, while European Union officials warned that the fires could continue until the beginning of November.

The EU has sent additional firefighting aircraft and helicopters to France and Spain, emphasizing that no single country has all the resources required to respond to disasters of this scale on its own.

Experts and UN officials warn that the combination of extreme heat, prolonged drought, and climate change is contributing to increasingly destructive wildfires, with estimates suggesting that this year's heatwaves in Europe have caused at least 10,000 deaths.

Greece also battling wildfires

Efforts to contain a major wildfire on the Greek island of Paros continued throughout the night as firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control. The fire, which broke out yesterday afternoon, spread at dawn from the Agkairia area toward Tripiti, ERT reported.

Due to the spread of the wildfire, a total of nine settlements have been evacuated so far.

During the night, Greek authorities issued two evacuation orders. Since yesterday afternoon, the areas of Agios Charalambos, Kambi, Vounados, Aneratzia, and Kamari have been evacuated.

According to the Fire Service, 66 firefighters are currently involved in battling the wildfire, including four forest commandos from the EMODE unit in Attica. A total of 16 firefighting vehicles are deployed on the ground, while aerial operations involve two aircraft and five helicopters, one of which is assigned to coordinate the operation, Kathimerini reported.

Additional aircraft are expected to be deployed later.