🔴 Fires in Europe live: France gives green light for 84,000 evacuees to return home

French authorities on Thursday gave the go-ahead for 84,000 evacuees forced out by a massive wildfire in the country’s southwest to return to their homes. More than 220,000 people were forced to flee their homes or holiday accommodation since the blaze broke out. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates. French authorities give green light for 84,000 evacuees to return home French authorities on Thursday gave the go-ahead for 84,000 evacuees forced out by a massive wildfire in the country’s southwest to return to their homes. The authorised returns announced for nine communes that had been evacuated are the strongest sign so far from authorities that the battle since last week against the fire that has burned an area four times the size of Paris may have turned a corner. More than 220,000 people were forced to flee their homes or holiday accommodation since the blaze broke out. New Spain fire forces evacuation of 600 people near Portuguese border, emergency services say A new wildfire broke out on Wednesday near Spain's border with Portugal, forcing the evacuation of more than 600 people, emergency services said. A total of 11 areas were evacuated, and residents of two others were ordered to shelter in place, the services said. Firefighters battle blazes across Turkey's tourist hotspots Firefighters continued battling forest fires in Turkey's popular tourist regions of Antalya and the Dardanelles, authorities reported. At least 115 active fires were billowing across the country, but 110 were completely under control, Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said. According to the minister, who was speaking live on Thursday from the wildfire coordination centre in Ankara, 69 of the fires that were being battled Wednesday ignited "outside forested areas". Meanwhile, the forestry directorate earlier said that it was carrying out "intensive operations with our air and ground forces against the ongoing forest fires", which broke out Wednesday due to strong winds. The directorate specifically mentioned the Antalya to Alanya and Mugla to Fethiye routes, where seaside resorts line up along the "Turquoise Coast" on the Mediterranean shore. Cool change and a chance of rain brings hope to southwest France Higher humidity, cooler temperatures and a forecast for rain raised hopes of relief for a parched portion of southwestern France. With moisture moving in from the Atlantic Ocean coast, national weather service Météo France forecast light rain in the town of Lège-Cap-Ferret. Local officials reported a “rather calm" night, with a fire that has not grown beyond the 42,000 hectares already affected. Fire crews remained at “total mobilisation” with 2,200 firefighters and more than 20 aircraft. Humidity that reached 80 percent overnight was expected to drop by midday, authorities said, though some rainfall was expected along the coast that “could reach the fire zone”. Temperatures that peaked around 40 C a day earlier were set to drop Thursday, topping out at 27 C along the coast. An “orange” heat wave alert – the second-highest level after “red” – was lifted shortly before dawn. Spanish authorities say 'almost no flames' left in fire near Madrid Wildfires threatening areas near Madrid have stopped spreading and there are "almost no flames", Spanish authorities. "Night-time weather conditions have made it possible ... to cool the area and reinforce the perimeter, which is clearly stabilised, with no spread for several days, few smoking spots and almost no flames left," the prefecture of the Madrid region said, adding that only about 1,000 evacuees remained. Thousands evacuated from raging Crete wildfire, official says Thousands of people were evacuated late on Wednesday as fires threatened a tourist resort on the Greek island of Crete and continued to rage on Thursday, fanned by violent winds, a local official said. "We evacuated (some) 8,000 people," Maria Lioni, deputy governor of the Rethymno area, told state TV ERT. Two people arrested on suspicion of arson in southwest France Two people have been arrested on suspicion of arson as firefighters battled to prevent the spread of wildfires near Bordeaux, the local administration responsible for the area said. The fires had not spread compared to the previous days, the local administration for La Nouvelle Aquitaine et de la Gironde added in a statement on X. The amount of ground burnt remained at 42,000 hectares. New wildfire in Burgundy, near Dijon The fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon southwest of the French city of Dijon burned across 125 hectares without causing any injuries or damage to homes, the Côte-d’Or prefecture announced. Fanned by the wind, the fire gradually spread, and by around 10:30pm, “125 hectares had been affected … of which 50 to 70 hectares were burned,” the prefecture stated in a press release. “No injuries have been reported, and no homes have been affected at this time,” it added. This fire has mobilised 151 firefighters and 78 fire trucks, and reinforcements from other departments are expected. Earlier in the day, two water-dropping helicopters provided assistance, but the water drops were suspended at nightfall. Flare-up in Fontainebleau forest south of Paris 'contained' “The fire in Fontainebleau has been contained. We’re maintaining a large-scale response effort tonight and tomorrow [Thursday],” Yannis Bouzar, the subprefect of Fontainebleau, told Agence France-Presse by phone shortly after midnight on Thursday. The area burned by this fire had been “revised downward to 6 hectares,” in consultation with the National Forestry Office (ONF), as Sébastien Avenel, deputy director of the department’s fire department, had specified shortly before 11pm in a phone call. Welcome to the France 24 liveblog covering wildfires in Europe. You can catch up on yesterday's developments here.