A new wave of evacuations has affected an additional 4,000 people in the Bordeaux area, as the massive fire consuming forests in the Gironde department remains a major danger, even though during the night hours the flames showed signs of calming.
Të lidhura
None found
The latest evacuation order mainly affects vacationers in the seaside town of Lacanau, as forecasters announce the return of scorching heat and strong thunderstorms, factors that could fuel the rapid spread of fire outbreaks.
Since July 22, when the flames erupted north of Arcachon, about 220,000 residents from 23 municipalities have been forced to leave their homes. At least 240 residential buildings have been engulfed by the fire, while 93 firefighters have been injured during interventions to neutralize the flames.
According to official sources, the main fire front is stabilized, but cannot yet be considered fully surrounded. For this reason, the return of the population to the emptied localities remains uncertain for the moment.
With an extent of about 420,000 hectares burned, this incident is considered the most catastrophic fire in France since 1949. In 2026 alone, flames have devoured nearly 920,000 hectares across French territory, recording the most alarming figure of burned area in the last 20 years, based on data from the European fire monitoring system.
During an inspection at the crisis management center, President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that the coming period will be extremely challenging and called on all forces to commit unreservedly to face the emergency.
Meanwhile, specialists draw attention that the environmental damage will be long-lasting. In addition to the destruction of forest massifs and buildings, the fire has critically damaged natural ecosystems, threatening the existence of rare species of fauna and insects.
Environmental experts stress that a large number of amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals have failed to survive the inferno of the flames, while even for the animals that made it, finding shelter and food will be extremely difficult due to the profound degradation of the habitat. According to predictions, the full restoration of the charred areas could take many years.
French authorities continue to have thousands of firefighters and aerial vehicles on full alert, while concern remains maximal over the possibility that the heatwave could reignite the still-active outbreaks in the coming days.
