France evacuates nearly 4,000 people as heat threatens Atlantic-coast wildfire
French authorities ordered the evacuation of about 4,000 tourists near Lacanau after rising temperatures threatened a large fire west of Bordeaux, while Spain continued to battle record-breaking blazes.
French officials ordered the evacuation of almost 4,000 people from campsites, holiday villages and leisure parks around the Lacanau resort on the Atlantic coast on Tuesday, citing the risk that higher temperatures could reignite a 420-square-kilometre wildfire west of Bordeaux. The fire, which has been burning since last week, was described by regional authorities as "stabilized, not fixed," indicating that it could still spread if conditions worsen.
"We are at a point of fragility," said Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for France’s national firefighters federation, adding that crews would continue to combat the blaze despite a forecasted rise in temperatures.
The national weather service issued a yellow heat warning for Gironde, with inland temperatures expected to reach 33-35 °C and southeast winds forecast across the region. Military engineers and forest-fire prevention teams worked on firebreaks, completing 103 km of lines to help contain the fire.
The incident follows a broader wave of wildfires across southwestern Europe that has forced roughly 330,000 people to evacuate in France and Spain combined. In France, more than 1,160 km² have burned this year, according to the Interior Ministry. In neighboring Spain, authorities reported over 1,530 km² burned, with the largest fire in Ávila exceeding 500 km². Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said night-long firefighting efforts left him "reasonably positive," but warned that conditions could deteriorate as another heat wave approaches.
While the Gironde fire remains a concern, authorities in the nearby Landes department allowed thousands of evacuees to return home after a separate blaze halted its advance. President Emmanuel Macron described the Landes fire as "fixed," meaning its spread had stopped, though officials cautioned that residual hotspots could still cause flare-ups.
Transportation disruptions included partial closure of the A63 highway and suspension of rail traffic south of Bordeaux, except for the route toward Toulouse.