Wildfires driven by extreme summer heat and strong winds spread across western Europe, prompting large-scale evacuations in southwest France. In France, authorities respond to major fires near Bordeaux and along the Atlantic coast during peak holiday season. France 24 reports that wildfires in the southwest force more than 20,000 people to evacuate, with around 800 firefighters supported by gendarmes and soldiers battling flames roughly 50 kilometres west of Bordeaux. Other outlets focus on the Cap Ferret peninsula, where officials order a total evacuation by land and sea as the blaze advances. The Guardian and Financial Times say the fire burns more than 10,000 hectares and that about 40,000 people are already evacuated or are about to be, including tourists staying in campsites and rental homes. CBS News similarly reports around 40,000 tourists and residents fleeing a French vacation hotspot, and it notes firefighters are killed while fires burn in France, Spain and Italy. Additional reporting from Japan Today and RFI says evacuation totals reach at least 12,000 earlier in the response, reflecting figures that rise as the situation develops.
Wildfires force tens of thousands to evacuate in southwest France, including Cap Ferret
Wildfires driven by extreme summer heat and strong winds spread across western Europe, prompting large-scale evacuations in southwest France. In France, authorities respond to major fires near Bordeau...
- Large wildfires burn in southwest France near Bordeaux and on the Atlantic coast.
- Authorities order evacuations of tens of thousands, including tourists at campsites and rental homes.
- Officials report the fire area exceeds 10,000 hectares.
- Evacuations are described as ongoing or reaching about 40,000 people on the Cap Ferret peninsula.
- Firefighting resources include hundreds of firefighters and support from security forces; at least some firefighters die in the broader European wildfire response.
A wildfire in France's Provence region continued to spread last night as 1,300 firefighters were deployed to quell the flames.
1 month agoEntire neighborhoods have been reduced to ash amid the devastating wildfires in France. While thousands of people are being allowed to return to their homes, nearly 80,000 people across southern France are still displaced. Ramy Inocencio reports.
1 month agoFrench authorities ordered 4,000 more people evacuated from tourist sites along its Atlantic coast, widening what may be France's largest peacetime evacuation.
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1 month agoMaps show the areas of south-west France still affected by raging wildfires as almost 4,000 more people have been evacuated from tourist sites in Lacanau
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