Emergency crews are working urgently to contain aggressive wildfires nine miles outside Bordeaux, ahead of an incoming heatwave expected to drive temperatures up to 41°C.
Scale of the Crisis
French President Emmanuel Macron described the severe fires as the "most difficult situation" the nation has faced since the Second World War. More than 260,000 residents across the south-west of France have now been forced to leave their homes.
The mayor of Bordeaux, Thomas Cazenave, stated that officials are preparing for "all eventualities" and organizing facilities to "accommodate a large number of people should further evacuations be ordered". Across France, the destruction has extended over 42,000 hectares—an area four times the size of Paris—resulting in two firefighter fatalities and 88 injuries, reports The Mirror.
Spain Also Affected
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Spain, 63,000 people near Madrid have received evacuation orders. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez characterised the disaster as "the most painful expression of the climate emergency", while Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska highlighted that the coming days will mark an "absolutely crucial" period in fighting the fires given the high temperature forecasts.
Heatwave Alert
National weather service Météo-France has placed the south-west region of Gironde under a yellow alert for high temperatures. The heat is expected to peak on Wednesday.
"We're facing a completely unprecedented fire," French President Emmanuel Macron said last evening, describing the situation as France's worst fire-related crisis since World War II. He praised fire crews for preventing the inferno from spreading further after days of flames advancing towards the city of Bordeaux. But he and other government officials warned that the battle is not yet over, with the fire still raging and another heatwave forecast for this week.
A map also shows the active wildfires currently burning across France. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told France 2 TV on Sunday that the country is battling between 30 and 40 wildfires on a daily basis.
