Flames Spread Across France, 4,000 Hectares Burned in Landes and Hundreds of Residents Evacuated

A new large-scale wildfire has engulfed the vast Landes forest in southwestern France, burning around 4,000 hectares of land.

As the flames advanced, authorities ordered more than 400 residents to leave the area as a precautionary measure for their safety.

The Landes Prefecture described the situation as “unfavorable.” Strong winds and shifts in their direction are hampering firefighters’ efforts to bring the blaze under control.

Fire chief Romain Moutard said the change in wind direction had caused the flames to move toward the municipality of Luglon, located around 25 kilometers northwest of Mont-de-Marsan.

Around 400 Luglon residents left their homes and were temporarily sheltered in a nearby town.

Wildfires have also been reported in other parts of France. In Gerand, in the west of the country, a fire has now been declared “under control,” while the danger it posed forced around 2,000 campers to leave the area.

South of Rennes, another fire has swept through around 2,250 hectares. Although the situation has stabilized, authorities say the flames have not yet been brought fully under control.

In Pas-de-Calais, fires that broke out on Wednesday in a tourist area near France’s northeastern coast have been “contained.” However, they remain active and are still not fully under control.

These fires follow a devastating period for France. At the end of July alone, around 37,000 hectares of forest were reduced to ashes in Landes, while in the neighboring Gironde area, a massive fire engulfed more than 400,000 hectares.