A wildfire in Catalonia forced authorities to confine some 43,000 residents to their homes on Friday, while separate blazes in France and Portugal prompted evacuations and left several people injured, as a heatwave gripped southern Europe.

In Catalonia, the fire broke out near La Bisbal d'Empordà, about 20km from the Costa Brava, and spread rapidly due to strong winds. Catalan fire service chief David Borrell described a "very violent pyrocumulus" that made the blaze unpredictable. More than 200 firefighters and 11 aerial units were deployed, and the regional government requested military assistance. Authorities ordered the confinement of residents in 11 municipalities, including the resort town of Platja d'Aro, and evacuated around 150 people, among them 70 children from a holiday camp. Catalan police arrested a man suspected of starting the fire with an angle grinder. The flames had consumed an estimated 1,280 hectares by evening, according to the regional interior minister.

In France, wildfires in the south-west forced the evacuation of about 3,000 people from a campsite in Sainte-Marie-la-Mer, with flames spreading to the marina at Canet-en-Roussillon. Two firefighters were slightly injured. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, speaking at an emergency meeting in Marseille, said "climatic events" had contributed to unusually early and intense fires, noting that 7,000 wildfires had been recorded since the start of the season, destroying 8,700 hectares. The largest active fire, in the Aude and Hérault departments, had burned around 900 hectares. Meanwhile, in northern Portugal, a forest fire that has been burning since Wednesday night in the Vouzela municipality injured at least nine people, including three firefighters and one civilian with serious burns. Portuguese authorities estimated 10,000 hectares had been scorched and activated the European civil protection mechanism, as well as bilateral agreements with Spain and Morocco, to request reinforcements. Around 1,000 firefighters were battling the flames, with temperatures expected to reach 44°C in some areas.

While the Catalan fire's origin has been linked to a specific individual, the broader pattern of early-season wildfires across the Mediterranean basin is being attributed by scientists and officials to climate change, which increases the intensity and frequency of extreme heat. Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez expressed "concern" and urged caution, recalling that last year the country suffered its worst fire season on record, with nearly 400,000 hectares burned. In France, the government faces political pressure over its climate policies, with the Green party filing a no-confidence motion. All three countries remain on high alert, with fires still active and investigations into causes ongoing. Provisional tolls remain subject to change as emergency services continue their work.