Wildfires raging less than seven miles from the French city of Bordeaux and its airport have forced more than 220,000 people to evacuate the Gironde department. The flames have burned 42,000 hectares – an area four times the size of Paris – leaving two firefighters dead and 88 injured.
Evacuations and warnings
Local official Sophie Brocas urged tourists not to come to the region. "We urge tourists not to come to this region, at least until the situation is under control. I encourage tourists who are already here to consider another destination," she said. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the city is preparing to accommodate large numbers of people if further evacuations are ordered, but there are currently no plans to evacuate the city's population of about 850,000.
Bordeaux Airport's hotel zone has been evacuated until further notice, though airport services remain unaffected. In Spain, 25,000 people have been ordered to evacuate and almost 40,000 told to stay indoors as wildfires near Madrid slowed their advance overnight but remain active, the regional government said.
Firefighting efforts and injuries
Firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze. Captain Wilfried Schneider of the Gironde Fire and Rescue Service said the most active part of the fire is between Marcheprime and Pierroton on the outskirts of the Bordeaux metropolitan area. About 2,500 firefighters, including a team from Switzerland, 1,500 military personnel and 1,200 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed, along with 18 aircraft.
The Gironde prefecture announced four more firefighters have been injured, bringing the total to 88. The situation remains "unfavourable," though weather conditions are better today. Firefighting efforts have focused on clearing the fire's edges and establishing tactical firebreaks.
Lieutenant Colonel David Annotel, spokesperson for the National Firefighters Federation of France, warned that crews could be fighting the blaze for "several weeks or even several months." He said the "real challenge is endurance," noting that the 2022 Landiras wildfire was not considered extinguished until 2025.
Political response and climate warnings
French President Emmanuel Macron held a crisis meeting on Monday, attended by interior and economy ministers. He thanked Pope Leo XIV for expressing solidarity with those affected. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that "the climate emergency kills" and said the government needed to tackle the root causes of the crisis. "What we are living through is not a series of isolated incidents," he said. "It is … the most painful manifestation of a climate emergency that is making … wildfires more voracious and heatwaves more frequent."
Impact on communities
The fires have destroyed at least 240 homes, many in the village of Le Porge. Rachel Hanberry, a British woman living in Biscarrosse-Plage, said: "It felt like we were in a war zone, [there were] people with emergency blankets around their shoulders. People who had nowhere to go. We offered our home to people." The community has "lost so much," she added. Jérôme Steffe, mayor of Cestas, a suburb just outside Bordeaux, described the fire as "of a size never seen before."
In Italy, a wildfire in southern Puglia forced the evacuation of about 300 tourists from beaches and campgrounds. Three Canadair water-bombing planes and ground crews continued to battle the blaze.
