Record Wildfires Sweep France and Spain

Monster wildfires in southwestern France have forced over 250,000 people to evacuate, while Spain has evacuated 116,000 near Madrid as both nations battle historic blazes amid an intense heatwave.

The fires have collectively forced more than 330,000 people to flee in what is one of Europe's largest evacuation operations since World War II. Firefighters are racing to contain the flames before another heatwave arrives, with the French blaze near Bordeaux generating its own pyrocumulonimbus clouds that sparked additional fires.

The European Commission has activated its emergency response system, with around a dozen countries providing planes, helicopters and personnel to assist the overwhelmed national crews.