Wildfire forces another 55,000 people to evacuate in southwest France
French authorities said the blaze is near Bordeaux and has burned about 42,000 hectares as 1,500 soldiers joined firefighting efforts.
- On Monday, July 27, 2026, massive wildfires in France's Gironde region and Spain forced 55,000 people to evacuate overnight, pushing the total displaced to 220,000 as flames advanced toward Bordeaux.
- Extreme heat and prolonged drought conditions fueled the blazes, which scorched roughly 42,000 hectares of forest and scrubland made tinder-dry by successive heatwaves in the Gironde region.
- French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez deployed 2,500 firefighters and military personnel, supported by 18 aircraft and an A400M transport plane modified to drop retardant across the firestorm.
- Two firefighters died during the operation, while smoke disrupted transport across southwestern France, including airport delays and a truncated final stage of the Tour de France.
- France faces a critical week as meteorologists forecast temperatures climbing to 39C by Wednesday, threatening to exacerbate containment efforts after a record-breaking 98,000 hectares burned across the country.
308 Articles
308 Articles
The rise in temperatures and wind complicates fire control, which had stabilized
Wildfires in southwestern France have stabilized, but continue to rage in the area. Politiken has followed local fire departments as they continue to extinguish fires near Bordeaux.
Wildfires force evacuations in Cap Ferret
French authorities ordered mass evacuations on the Cap Ferret peninsula west of Bordeaux after a wildfire breached a key defensive line meant to hold the flames. Residents and tourists were told to leave as firefighters shifted to protect lives and reroute traffic off the narrow spit of land. The order comes at the height of the summer season in one of France’s most visited coastal areas, raising safety concerns and economic worries. The decisio…
Nearly a quarter of a million people have fled the fires in France in recent days. In the south, the wind threatens to worsen the situation and in the tourist city of Bordeaux, the outdoor cafes are empty. “We have the car packed and are ready to leave,” says Swede Peter Bonde in the hard-hit village of Cotignac, where many houses have been leveled.
What is a ‘fire cloud’? French firefighters battle inferno so big it generates its own thunderstorms – UK Times
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch More than 250,000 people in southwest France have been ordered to evacuate as wildfires burn across the region, scorching more than 42,000 hectares of land. The fire, which began in Gironde on Wednesday, is just seven miles from Bordeaux as authorities warned th…
Cai Rienäcker, ARD Paris, on the forest fire situation around the Bordeaux area
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