More than 10,000 evacuated in southwestern France as wildfire spreads

More than 10,000 evacuated in southwestern France as wildfire spreads
Firefighters monitor a wildfire in Le Porge, south-western France on July 22, 2026. (AFP)
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Updated 23 July 2026 10:33
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More than 10,000 evacuated in southwestern France as wildfire spreads

More than 10,000 evacuated in southwestern France as wildfire spreads
  • Five hundred firefighters ‌are battling to control the blaze

SAUMOS: More than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight in ​southwestern France as a rapidly spreading wildfire scorched through 2,000 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux, officials said ‌on Thursday. Wildfires ‌have burnt ​more ‌land ⁠in ​Europe already ⁠this year than the annual average in the past two decades, data shows, as the world’s fastest-warming continent ⁠has endured three ‌stifling, virtually ‌back-to-back heatwaves so ​far this ‌year.
Five hundred firefighters ‌are battling to control the blaze, the prefecture said, adding that the wildfire ‌was very rough, but that no one has ⁠been ⁠injured so far.
The wildfire is located near the Arcachon Bay area, a tourist hotspot, and many of those evacuated are tourists staying in camping sites.