Western Europe wildfire threat eases as French evacuations end, but Greece faces new blazes

Firefighters in southwestern France have contained a large wildfire that forced the evacuation of about 198,000 people, enabling most residents to go back to their homes. The blaze, which burned roughly 420 square kilometres of pine forest west of Bordeaux, remained within its perimeter but was not yet declared fully extinguished, with hot spots still monitored.

In Greece, gale-force winds drove a separate fire through the pine forest near the Gulf of Corinth, prompting the evacuation of around 300 people by sea and complicating aerial firefighting efforts. The blaze, which began near the village of Agios Vasileios, was estimated to have affected 40 to 50 square kilometres of land. Authorities also reported new fires east of Nafpaktos, leading to additional evacuation alerts.

French officials said the fire in the Gironde region is “contained” but not yet “fixed,” while the Var region’s Gros Bessillon fire, previously declared under control, reignited after strong mistral winds revived embers. About 1,300 firefighters remain deployed there, and roughly 2,500 residents are still unable to return.

Climate experts note that Europe’s rapid warming and prolonged droughts increase vegetation dryness, making wildfires spread faster and burn more intensely. The European Union’s Copernicus climate service reports that the continent is heating at more than twice the global average since the 1980s.

Local residents described the damage. A farmer in Porto Germeno said the forest had been “surrendered to the hands of the fire,” while a mechanic returning to Le Porge described his family home as “unrecognizable” after the flames destroyed generations-old structures.