Firefighters are working to contain wildfires near Bordeaux after tens of thousands of people were evacuated from surrounding areas, BBC News reported.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said conditions in the region remained “very unfavourable” and that the blaze was moving unpredictably towards Bordeaux. Officials, however, have played down the prospect of evacuating the city.
About 55,000 people were moved overnight into Sunday from villages south of Bordeaux in the Gironde region. More than 220,000 people have been evacuated across south-west France in total.
France has been among the worst-hit countries during a week of wildfires across Europe. According to Nuñez, 42,000 hectares have burned in the south-west, while around 115,000 hectares have been affected across France since the start of the year.
Captain Nicolas Braz, involved in leading the firefighting operation, said the fire had generated its own winds and whirlwinds, describing it as erratic and difficult to control.
In Le Porge, a coastal town affected by the fires, residents have organised support for firefighters, including meals and rest areas. More than 150 homes have been destroyed in the town, which has about 3,500 residents.
The response in Gironde includes 2,500 firefighters, among them a Swiss team, as well as 1,500 military personnel and almost 1,200 police and gendarmes. Dry vegetation and strong winds have helped the fire spread, and a 60km stretch of the A63 motorway towards Spain has been closed.
Bordeaux Airport told BBC News that air traffic control restrictions had been introduced to support emergency operations, affecting all commercial flights. Departures and arrivals were delayed on Sunday afternoon, with some cancellations reported.
The final stage of the Tour de France was shortened on Sunday so security forces could be reassigned to the firefighting effort. President Emmanuel Macron said France would rebuild and that his government would remain involved for as long as needed.
Fires are also continuing in Spain, where more than 90,000 people have been evacuated from areas around Madrid and Ávila. Spain’s ecological transition minister Sara Aagesen said around 77,000 hectares had been affected and described the Ávila fire as the largest in the country’s recent history.
A new front opened near Valencia overnight into Sunday. Regional officials warned conditions could worsen, with high temperatures and low humidity expected. One civilian death has been reported in a smaller fire in the Valencia region, while two firefighters were killed earlier in the week near Bordeaux.