French authorities ordered the evacuation of approximately 4,000 residents and visitors from tourist destinations along the Atlantic coast on Tuesday as weather conditions posed renewed risks to firefighting efforts at a major wildfire in the Gironde region west of Bordeaux. The blaze, which had burned across 420 square kilometers (162 square miles) since the previous week, remained in a precarious condition despite overnight progress in containing its advance.
The evacuations covered campsites, holiday villages, tourist facilities and recreational areas near the resort town of Lacanau, including the shores of Lacanau lake. Officials characterized the fire as stabilized rather than controlled, indicating that warmer temperatures and lower humidity levels expected to develop during the day could trigger new outbreaks. A spokesperson for France’s national firefighters federation stated authorities would maintain their offensive despite the challenging forecast.
The wildfire emergency extended across southwestern Europe, with approximately 330,000 people having been forced to leave their homes and vacation accommodations in France and Spain combined. In the neighboring Landes region, authorities allowed about 15,000 evacuees to return home after a separate wildfire was brought under control, though officials warned that lingering hot spots and changing weather conditions could still produce fresh flare-ups. The Gironde fire had displaced 220,000 people and burned an area roughly four times the size of Paris.
In Spain, the situation remained more dire, with the country entering its fourth heat wave of the summer amid record-breaking fire activity. The largest wildfire on record in Spain was burning in Ávila province west of Madrid, having consumed more than 500 square kilometers. Spanish authorities have evacuated approximately 79,000 people and ordered another 30,000 to remain sheltered in their homes, prompting the government to declare a national emergency for wildfires for the first time. Across Spain, fires have burned six times more area in the first half of the year compared to the equivalent period the previous year.
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