Approximately 20,000 people were forced to leave their homes and vacation spots along France’s Atlantic coast on Thursday as a rapidly spreading wildfire drew hundreds of firefighters to the scene.
Officials say the blaze broke out in a forested area near Lège Cap-Ferret, a town located southwest of Bordeaux, and has already burned through more than 2,400 hectares — roughly 5,900 acres. Despite the scale of the fire, no injuries have been reported.
Sophie Brocas, the prefect — or chief administrator — of the surrounding Gironde region, confirmed that around 700 firefighters have been sent to battle the blaze, including crews who traveled from the Paris area. The fire has crept to within 300 meters, or about 980 feet, of the nearest homes in Lège. Air tankers are also working the area from above.
Brocas described the situation as challenging, noting that “weather conditions remain unfavorable, with adverse wind direction and erratic gusts.”
More than 10,000 people — among them tourists staying at holiday camps and campgrounds — were relocated overnight, along with over 1,000 residents who live along the edge of the forest. Authorities later ordered the evacuation of the village of Claouey, including people staying at several campsites, as a safety precaution. That evacuation alone involved an estimated 8,800 individuals.
Several nearby municipalities have set up reception and rest centers to assist those displaced by the fire, according to regional authorities.
This summer has brought a wave of destructive wildfires across southern Europe. Scientists have repeatedly warned that climate change is intensifying the heat and dry conditions that make such fires more likely and more severe.
France has been hit particularly hard, with a string of heat waves beginning even before summer officially started driving record temperatures and parched conditions. The stress on plants and vegetation from a lack of water has added to the fire danger across the country.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported that more than 12,500 wildfires have ignited across France since the start of the year, burning through nearly 44,000 hectares of land in total.
