France orders 55,000 more residents to flee as wildfire engulfs 100,000 hectares near Bordeaux
The prefecture of Gironde ordered an additional 55,000 residents to evacuate overnight, bringing the total displaced in the region to at least 222,000 as the blaze creates its own wind system.
Fire creates its own weather, forcing mass evacuations overnight
The wildfire in Gironde intensified sharply, generating a phenomenon in which the flames produce their own air currents. This makes the fire's behaviour highly unpredictable and has severely complicated firefighting. "It will be another difficult night," prefect of Gironde Nicolas Brazes told AFP. The prefecture ordered 55,000 residents of five communes (Marcheprime, Le Barp, Biganos, Mios and Cestas) to leave their homes during the night of 25 to 26 July 2026. Only hours earlier, on Saturday evening, 8,000 people from two of those communes had been told to evacuate. The fresh order pushed the total number of evacuees in Gironde since the fires began on Wednesday to at least 222,000, up from a previous count of 167,000.
Nationwide toll: nearly 100,000 hectares burned across 30 active fires
Writing on X on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said nearly 100,000 hectares of land had already burnt and about 30 wildfires remained active across France. The weather forecast, he added, suggested that the coming hours "could be difficult." The government, he stressed, was prepared for every scenario and had deployed substantial resources. South of Bordeaux, railway operator SNCF suspended all train services on the line to Morcenx and Arcachon until further notice. A 60-kilometre stretch of the A63 motorway linking Bordeaux to Spain was also closed, according to a statement from the prefecture.
The upcoming hours could be difficult.
Government scrambles firefighters, soldiers and international help
France has sent 1,400 firefighters to the region, secured 3,500 provisional beds for evacuees, distributed 2.5 million respirators, and deployed 20 ambulances from the military health service. The armed forces said on Saturday evening that 1,500 soldiers were helping with evacuations, home protection, logistics and aerial firefighting, and that the number of troops would be adjusted as the situation evolved. Czech firefighters operated in the commune of Le Temple on Saturday evening, working alongside a French helicopter and Slovak colleagues, according to a post on X. Their deployment adds to a growing international effort as the fires spread across south-western Europe.
- Wildfire ignites in Gironde, southwestern France.
- Prefecture orders 8,000 residents of two communes to evacuate; cumulative evacuees at 167,000.
- PM Sebastien Lecornu announces nearly 100,000 hectares burned, about 30 active fires, and warns upcoming hours could be difficult.
- Prefecture orders additional 55,000 residents from five communes to evacuate, raising total evacuees in Gironde to at least 222,000.
More than 300,000 people displaced across France and Spain
The fires have now forced an estimated 300,000 people from their homes across France and Spain. In Gironde alone the total reached at least 222,000 after Sunday's evacuation order, up from 167,000 earlier on Saturday. The wildfire originally broke out on Wednesday 22 July and has been burning ever since, with officials warning that the weather conditions remain dangerous.
