In France, where two firefighters died on Tuesday as their truck was engulfed in flames in the southwest region of Gironde, authorities urged people to avoid using barbecues in areas hit by heatwaves, stressing that nine out of 10 wildfires start, accidentally or not, as a result of human activity.
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent and scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the intensity of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, while also creating conditions for sudden, destructive storms.
The continent has endured three stifling, virtually back-to-back heatwaves in 2026.
Intense heat has also been blamed for thousands of excess deaths in the May to June period.
Spain's worst wildfire so far in 2026 has burned an estimated 32,000 hectares in the Guadalajara region.
It started to stabilise on Tuesday after forcing evacuations in 34 municipalities and confinement orders in 14 others.
Residents of five villages had been authorised to return, although other restrictions remained in place.
Visiting the region on Wednesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain had already suffered 22 major wildfires in 2026, with more than 100,000 hectares burned nationwide.
"To put that into perspective, that is the annual average that Spain experienced over the past decade," he said, adding that more must be done to prevent fires.
"We must raise public awareness, and we must not trivialise the effects of the climate emergency."
Spain's weather agency AEMET said the danger of wildfires remained "very high or extreme" across most of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands and was expected to increase further in the coming days.
It urged people to "exercise extreme caution" as the ongoing heatwave combined with dry thunderstorms and Saharan dust.
A marked cool-down is expected from Friday.
However, the respite may be brief. Temperatures are forecast to rise again from Sunday, and intense heat could return across much of Spain early next week.
In France, less severe temperatures and lighter winds aided efforts to fight a wildfire that has burned 2500 hectares in the southeastern Var area, damaged dozens of homes and forced 400 people to flee their homes, local authorities said.
Helicopters resumed dropping water on the Var wildfire, which is still active.
"The situation has been very difficult. Some 1100 firefighters fought all night," Commander William Vogl, a spokesperson for the Var firefighters, said on RMC radio.
The fire was not yet contained but winds should be "more favourable" on Wednesday, he said.
Officials said another fire was raging in the Hautes-Alpes, also in southeastern France.
