20,000 evacuated in Gironde as wildfire destroys 2,400 hectares

A new outbreak of fire in south-west France has seen 20,000 people evacuated since yesterday evening including holidaymakers at several campsites and a naturist reserve.

The blaze near Saumos in the Arcachon basin (Gironde) has burned some 2,400 hectares of land, spreading rapidly due to the presence of closely-spaced pine trees in the area.

An initial 12,00 people were evacuated yesterday and overnight, with another 8,000 later in the day, including both residents of Claouey and holidaymakers in nearby campsites.

No buildings have been damaged nor have any injuries been recorded, however, as of 13:00 today, the fire continues to spread and has not been contained. 

Firefighters set ‘tactical fires’ along the blaze’s perimeter last night in an effort to starve the main blaze of fuel, but this has not been successful.

Access to Cap Ferret, a popular tourist destination around 50km north of Bordeaux, has been closed today as around 500 firefighters continue to fight the blaze and anti-fire aircraft are being scrambled to help.

The Gironde prefecture has banned the use of combustion engines in forest-dominated municipalities today, with the exception of vehicles on the road network and for farmers/beekeepers, with the latter only able to use them between 10:00 and 14:00. Public services and anti-fire volunteer groups are also exempt. 

It comes after two firefighters in the department lost their lives on Tuesday (July 21) tackling a fire near Bordeaux-Mérignac airport.

Elsewhere, a fire in the Var continues to burn for the third day, affecting around 2,500 hectares of land. 

Originating in Pontevès on Tuesday, the blaze spread south-east, destroying around 10 homes and damaging a further 50. 
The fire has been contained, meaning it is no longer spreading, but is yet to be ‘fixé’ as several pockets continue to burn. The return of strong Mistral winds in the area today risks further damage from the fire.

A blaze in Argentière-la-Bessée (Hautes-Alpes) that began on Sunday continues to burn, having so far impacted some 200 hectares of land. 

Fires continue in Corsica, including one in the mountains at Corte. It was previously believed that the fire had been contained but it now has begun to spread again. Between this and a blaze at Albertacce - also burning again after previously being halted – more than 640 hectares of land has been burned on the island.

A military Airbus A400M plane, equivalent to three Canadair anti-fire planes, will be used to help tackle blazes until at least the end of July, said government spokesperson Maud Bregeon this morning.

You can see a map of ongoing fires in France in the map below. Red shows ongoing fires, orange fires that have been reported but not confirmed, and black recently extinguished fires.

You can see a live map at the feuxdeforet.fr website.

Grim season for forest fires

France has seen non-stop blazes for several weeks, ranging from historic fires in Fontainebleau near Paris (the largest wildfire in the Île-de-France region) to major blazes across the south.

More than 12,500 fires have started since January 1, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in an update on the situation on Wednesday, with 44,000 hectares burned (not including all hectares impacted, some of which survive a wildfire without being destroyed).

Last year’s total had already been eclipsed by mid-July, and the current damage from this year is higher than the 2022 wildfire season, which included historic fires near Bordeaux. 

At least 128 people have been arrested in relation to fires, the Interior Minister said on Wednesday, and French authorities continue to remind people that the majority of blazes are caused by human error.

The current destruction is around four times that of a typical summer, and there are fears that over 60,000 hectares could burn if similar conditions remain in place for the rest of the summer.

State forecaster Météo France has placed five departments on a red-level risk alert for blazes today – Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Vaucluse, Gard, and Aude. 

Weather conditions reduce risks on Friday, as despite temperatures of 36C - 39C forecast across the south, rising to 40C in the Garonne valley winds will be less strong. 

The arrival of storms across the south on Saturday should provide some relief, but early forecasts of a new vague de chaleur (period of hot weather) means more fires are likely across next week, particularly towards the end when the heat is at its most intense.