Wildfire now nine miles away from French city of Bordeaux, mayor warns
BBC News 2026-07-27 17:50:42
Context: A massive wildfire is raging in southwestern France, with the mayor of Bordeaux warning that it is now just nine miles away from the city. The fire, described as "unprecedented" by the interior minister, has already burned 42,000 hectares of land and destroyed 240 houses in the Gironde region. The situation is dire, with 220,000 people evacuated in France and over 100,000 in Spain, where wildfires are also burning out of control.
Key Facts
- The wildfire in southwestern France has burned 42,000 hectares (103,000 acres) of land and destroyed 240 houses in the Gironde region, with 17,000 residents evacuated from the town of Cestas during the night.
- French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has warned that the country is going through an "unprecedented fire season", with 116,085 hectares (286,852 acres) burned and 13,566 fire starts recorded since January.
- The interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, has described the situation as "unprecedented", stating that the fire "has a life of its own" and that firefighters are facing a difficult battle.
- President Emmanuel Macron is visiting fire-ravaged areas in Gironde to show his support for firefighters and other teams responding to the blazes, with 162 arrests made since July 6 for deliberately setting fires.
- Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world, with Europe being the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.