Spain records 45.7°C as wildfire forces evacuations in southern France

Updated 5 September 2026 — Spain recorded 45.7°C at El Granado in Andalusia on Thursday, 3 September, the country’s highest temperature of the year, according to the state weather agency AEMET. That evening, a vegetation fire near Malbosc in southern France forced about 30 people to leave the hamlet of Sabuscles and a nearby campsite as a precaution, Le Dauphiné Libéré reported.

The French fire started shortly after 17:00 beside the RD216 road and spread rapidly across difficult terrain between Malbosc and Les Vans, according to Le Dauphiné Libéré. The newspaper initially reported that 50 hectares had burned and that several hundred more were threatened. A subsequent account citing the Ardèche fire and rescue service revised the affected area to between 25 and 30 hectares. The exact cause remains unknown.

About 220 firefighters from Ardèche and neighbouring Gard were deployed during the initial response, supported by Canadair water bombers, Dash aircraft and a civil-security helicopter, Le Dauphiné Libéré reported. Gendarmes regulated traffic and supervised the evacuations. Residents of Malbosc accommodated those displaced after the municipality opened a communal hall.

The events came during another spell of exceptional late-season heat. AEMET said the 45.7°C reading at El Granado, in Huelva province, exceeded every other Spanish measurement this year. Le Monde reported that parts of Andalusia entered red heat alert on Thursday—the first time Spain had used its highest heat-warning level during September since the present system began in 2007.

In France, Météo-France placed Ardèche, Aude, Drôme, Gard and Hérault under orange heat vigilance for Friday. It added Pyrénées-Orientales and Vaucluse for Saturday, when local temperatures in Languedoc were forecast to reach 38°C to 40°C. The agency’s summer assessment found that France experienced its hottest summer since national measurements began in 1900, alongside a rainfall deficit of almost 40%.

No direct disruption affecting Belgium has been reported. Belgian residents travelling through Andalusia or southern France should follow AEMET, Météo-France and local emergency instructions, particularly around closed roads, campsites and forest areas.

Fire crews will continue checking the Malbosc perimeter for renewed activity. Authorities have not announced when the evacuees can all return, and investigators have not established how the fire began.