BORDEAUX, France — France is bracing for yet another intense heat event, its fourth major heatwave this year, as dangerously dry and hot conditions across the country’s southwest continue to fuel a massive wildfire burning near the city of Bordeaux.
Temperatures in Bordeaux are expected to climb to 33 degrees Celsius — about 91 degrees Fahrenheit — on Tuesday. That’s roughly 7 degrees above the historical average high recorded between 1961 and 1990, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor. Forecasters at weather agency Meteo France say temperatures could surge even higher, reaching 37 degrees Celsius by Wednesday afternoon.
French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to the affected region and addressed the crisis Monday evening, describing it in stark terms. “The situation we are dealing with today is the most severe we have ever recorded, the toughest since the Second World War,” he said.
Firefighters managed to contain the blaze overnight, but officials cautioned that the danger is far from over. Nathalie Delattre, Senator for the Gironde department, which includes Bordeaux, acknowledged the fragile state of the situation. “Everything will depend on how the firefighters on the ground get on,” she told BFM TV on Tuesday.
The fire has torn through 42,000 hectares in the Landes area, a region southwest of Bordeaux blanketed by pine forests that turn extremely combustible in dry conditions. Authorities have ordered the evacuation of approximately 220,000 people, including both local residents and tourists.
Near the town of Biscarrosse, located roughly 40 kilometers south of Bordeaux, conditions improved after a separate wildfire struck the area last week. Local authorities announced Tuesday that around 15,000 evacuated residents were being gradually permitted to return to their homes and a nearby campsite.
Still, officials urged caution. “However, (the favourable) development does not mean the risk has been eliminated. Flare-ups remain possible, particularly due to weather conditions (wind, drought, etc.),” the local administration stated.
This year’s wildfire season in France has been described as unprecedented, with the total area burned already exceeding the previous record set in 2022.
