Wildfires in France and Spain last week have blazed toward cities, forced evacuations by land and sea and wreathed the skies of southern Europe in stifling smoke.

Already broiling under intense summer heat, more than 300,000 people in France and Spain fled their homes or were ordered to remain indoors as dozens of fires moved across parts of each country. In France, one official called two severe fires the “ogres of the summer.” In Spain, another labeled one blaze “the worst wildfire in the Madrid region’s history.”

The Spanish government declared the fires in the Madrid region a national emergency, and both countries requested additional aid from the European Union to combat the fires and help people affected.

Monday

Wildfires in hills near the town of Onda, Spain.

Firefighters gathered at a command center in the Gironde region of France.

Organizing efforts to put out wildfires in Gironde.