French President Emmanuel Macron convened a crisis meeting on Monday as France battled a series of massive wildfires that have forced more than 250,000 people to evacuate, while authorities reported the first signs that the country's largest blaze may be slowing.

In the Gironde region of southwestern France, where flames have scorched an area four times the size of Paris, local authorities said the situation had remained "globally stable" overnight after several days of rapid fire spread towards the wine-producing city of Bordeaux.

No new evacuation orders were issued, offering a measure of relief. However, with France entering the peak August holiday season, officials imposed additional restrictions, including a ban on holiday camps for children and people with disabilities in the affected area.

Thousands of firefighters, supported by aircraft dropping water and fire retardant, continued efforts to contain the blaze before forecast higher temperatures from Tuesday, which are expected to hamper firefighting operations.

Macron chaired the government's emergency meeting on Monday morning to coordinate the national response.

In a post on X over the weekend, the French president pledged long-term support for affected communities.

"We will rebuild, we will repair and we will be present for as long as necessary," he wrote.

Meanwhile, Spain is also battling severe wildfires, with blazes burning out of control around Madrid and prompting further evacuations in the eastern Valencia region.

According to the Spanish government, around 76,000 people have been evacuated, while another 30,000 have been ordered to remain indoors because of the fires.

Residents forced to flee expressed anxiety about what they would find upon returning home.

"It looked like the apocalypse. You couldn't see anything. Everything was covered in ash," said Rocío Domínguez, who evacuated with her dog, Simba, from the town of Chapinería, west of Madrid.

"We don't know whether we'll return to find half the house burned down, the house intact, or no house at all," she said. "All the clothes, all the memories, everything."