In brief
Wildfires are spreading rapidly in France’s Gironde region, prompting 2,000 firefighters to work around the clock to contain the flames. The area is also under threat from an impending heatwave that will bring July temperatures up to 40 °C, potentially worsening fire conditions. Local officials warn that the worst affected areas are close to Bordeaux, but the city itself is still safe. Evacuations have been ordered for coastal campsites and thousands have been displaced nationwide. President Macron and other officials emphasize the unprecedented scale of the fires and urge residents to stay indoors.
Firefighters in France are working round‑the‑clock to contain wildfires raging in Gironde, as the region braces for an impending 40 °C heatwave.
“The fire is like David against Goliath,” said Eric Brocardi, spokesman for the national firefighters’ federation. He added that four of his colleagues had recently died across France and that 2,000 volunteers were deployed to Gironde to fight the flames, which have burned countryside between the coast and Bordeaux for days.
“Weather conditions were unfavourable,” warned a local official, citing this summer’s fourth heatwave which is expected to begin by Wednesday. Temperatures in the area could reach 40 °C.
Bordeaux itself – a city of 260,000 – is not currently under threat, but Commander Rémi Lassoureille, leading the firefighting response, expressed concern about the western edge of the fires. He noted that a wildfire less than 15 km (9 miles) from Bordeaux’s perimeter had turned the air quality sharply worse.
“People were staying indoors, so it felt eerie and sad,” said a holidaymaker from Essex. “The air smelled of smoke and ash.”
Health Minister Stéphanie Rist urged residents in affected areas to stay indoors due to the poor air quality, while President Emmanuel Macron called the scale of the fires “unprecedented” and “the toughest since World War Two.”
Eventually, the prefect ordered evacuation of all campsites near Lacanau, with about 4,000 tourists told to leave. A total of 240 homes have reportedly been destroyed, and the evacuation number for the region adds to the 220 000 people displaced elsewhere in France.
Somber messages of thanks to firefighters appeared in the Biscarrosse area, while local vintner Peggy Plouhinec noted that tourism under a summer journe would be severely impacted. Residents from Cap Ferret highlighted the devastation of coastal forests, contrasting it with Bordeaux's concrete skyline, which “does not burn.”
Additional reporting by Xavier Pallas.
