Spanish autonomous community in the center of the Iberian Peninsula
Since late July 2026, fast-moving wildfires have forced more than 200,000 people to flee across southwestern France and central Spain. Fires have scorched tens of thousands of hectares, pushed toward Bordeaux and areas west of Madrid, injured firefighters, prompted France to deploy soldiers and led Spain to declare a national emergency.
Forest fires rage across southwest France and central Spain near Madrid, forcing more than 325,000 to flee. France reports a pyrocumulonimbus fire cloud; scientists warn climate change is intensifying such events. Officials warn of ongoing evacuations and shifting winds.
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s father and long‑time agent, has died in Rosario at 68 after a long illness. Clubs from Inter Miami to Barcelona and Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys have held moments of silence and issued tributes. Lionel Messi has travelled home and missed Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match while teammates and fans paid tribute.