Two firefighters have died while fighting a huge fire near Bordeaux Airport, prompting the grounding of flights. The blaze broke out from a nearby building on Avenue Roland Garros, close to the airport’s car park, at around 2.30pm on Tuesday. One hectare of land went up in flames, sending huge plumes of smoke across the sky.
Interior minister confirms deaths
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that two firefighters had died while attempting to extinguish the blaze. Video posted to social media showed passengers disembarking from an easyJet flight as a column of thick grey smoke loomed behind them.
Firefighting efforts and flight disruptions
Some 100 firefighters, backed by specialist aircraft, are reported to be still fighting the blaze. The cause of the fire, which is no longer spreading, is unclear, according to the Association for the Prevention and Reporting of Forest Fires. Several flights scheduled to arrive at Bordeaux-Mérignac airport have been delayed while others were stopped from taking off.
Wildfire in southern France
Separately, a wildfire swept through towns on France’s Mediterranean coast near Frejus on Sunday, threatening homes and forcing the evacuation of several hamlets. Strong winds and drought conditions fueled its rapid spread, local authorities said. ‘The fire spread extremely quickly in the context of this heatwave and extreme drought,’ local prefect Simon Babre told BFM TV. The blaze had scorched about 180 hectares (445 acres) by Sunday evening, the prefect’s office said. Train services between the Mediterranean port of Toulon and Les Arcs were suspended because of the fire.
