French wildfires continue to burn near Bordeaux as a fresh heatwave threatens to peak at a scorching 41°C, fanning flames that have already forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists from the Atlantic Coast. The megafire has burned 42,000 hectares in the Gironde region since July 22, and officials say the situation remains "still stabilised" but with "unfavourable" weather conditions.
Rising temperatures of up to 41°C inland and 38°C along the coast, accompanied by dry winds with gusts reaching 45 km/h, are expected to fan the flames. French authorities have ordered 4,000 more people to leave tourist sites along the Atlantic coast, expanding what may be France's largest peacetime evacuation. The Gironde fire has forced 220,000 people to leave their homes.
Evacuations and arson arrests
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 184 people have been arrested on suspicion of arson since the start of the summer and added that wildfire season is "far from over." The evacuation of 4,000 tourists from the Lacanau area is now complete, according to the area's mayor, Laurent Peyrondet.
Morgane Bonichot, a 40-year-old childcare worker, described being jolted awake by a mobile phone alert reading "URGENT" and "Evacuate now" in the early hours of Saturday. She bundled up her nine-year-old daughter, their rabbit and their dog before fleeing. "We left just like that," she said. "My car had broken down, so neighbors had to drive me, along with my little girl and the animals."
About 60,000 evacuees from Le Haillan, Mérignac, and Eysines were allowed to return home after no fires broke out in those areas.
Firefighting efforts and controlled burns
A fleet of 23 planes and helicopters — up from 18 — dropped water and fire retardant as crews fought to keep new blazes from spreading. In Spain, members of the Emergency Military Unit used controlled burns to halt the spread of wildfires in the Madrid border region. Spain's wildfire has become the country's largest on record, scorching more than 193 square miles (500 square kilometers).
"Tomorrow will be an important day, one we will be watching very closely, given the extreme temperatures we expect," said Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Pitault of the Gironde Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS 33). "We are not going to see a widespread fire across the entire affected area but we must remain very vigilant."
Wildlife and climate concerns
Wildlife has suffered "extremely significant losses" since the fires began on June 22, according to France's ecology minister Monique Barbut. She said: "It is clear that the figures will be catastrophic by the end of the summer."
"Extreme wildfires are on the rise globally in different parts of the world," said University of Colorado fire scientist Jennifer Balch. "And that's the piece that you know has us shaking in our boots."
