A massive wildfire tearing through southwestern France forced an additional 55,000 people to evacuate overnight Sunday, pushing the total number of residents displaced in one region alone to 220,000 as the blaze continues to close in on the historic wine city of Bordeaux.
Officials in the Gironde region, where Bordeaux is situated, issued overnight evacuation orders covering five additional communities located to the southwest of the city.
Strong gusting winds overnight helped accelerate the spread of the fire, which has been burning out of control since the middle of the week, according to a statement from regional authorities.
The Gironde prefect also ordered a partial shutdown of a major highway running southwest from Bordeaux in response to the advancing flames.
The city’s mayor described the situation as dire, stating the fire “is still at the gates of the metropolitan area,” with the nearest flames now approximately 15 kilometers — about 9 miles — from Bordeaux.
A separate wildfire burning further to the south in the Landes region has forced an additional 30,000 people from their homes this week, bringing the combined total of people displaced by both fires to more than 250,000.
Across the border in Spain, authorities have evacuated roughly 70,000 people this week due to fires burning west of Madrid.
