A new wildfire raced through woodlands in southwestern France overnight, forcing more than 500 people to evacuate the town of Luglon in the Landes region, as a record-breaking heat wave keeps fueling fire outbreaks across Europe.

Firefighters battling the blaze were racing against dry, windy conditions that have made this one of France's most punishing fire seasons in memory. According to CNN, multiple European countries are simultaneously battling wildfires as the heat wave — one of several to hit the continent this summer — grips the region and France endures its driest year on record.

The Landes fire is the latest flare-up in a wildfire season that has already forced roughly 330,000 people to evacuate across southwestern Europe this summer, according to PBS NewsHour. A separate, larger blaze that tore through the neighboring Gironde and Landes departments in late July burned more than 42,000 hectares (about 104,000 acres) and displaced an estimated 250,000 people at its peak.

A Season Without Relief

Authorities warn the danger isn't over even where fires have been contained. Residual hot spots, shifting winds and persistent drought mean previously extinguished areas can reignite with little warning, and surveillance crews are expected to keep monitoring burned regions for days or weeks. Officials had allowed thousands of evacuees from the earlier Gironde blaze to return home only after that fire stopped advancing — a reprieve now complicated by the new ignition near Luglon.

The human toll of the heat itself has been severe well beyond the fire lines. Researchers tracking excess mortality found roughly 5,764 more deaths than usual across Europe between June 17 and July 2 alone, a toll widely attributed to the summer's repeated heat waves.

The fires have hit hard during peak tourist season along France's Atlantic coast, an economic engine for the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region that depends heavily on August vacationers. Campsites and holiday rentals near the fire zones have been emptied on short notice more than once this summer, compounding losses for a hospitality industry already contending with the disruption.

What's Next

Meteorologists are watching for the next heat spike, which forecasters warn could arrive within days and further dry out vegetation that has yet to recover from July's fires. Emergency officials in Landes say monitoring operations around Luglon will continue "for as long as it takes" to confirm the latest fire is fully out.