More Than 20,000 Flee As Wildfire Spreads Across France's Gironde

More than 20,000 people have been evacuated as a fast-moving wildfire continues to burn through southwestern France's Gironde region, destroying more than 2,400 hectares of land and forcing authorities to expand evacuation orders, according to the Gironde prefecture.

The blaze, which broke out in the Saumos-Le Porge sector on Tuesday, remained active on Thursday. Authorities said the fire had destroyed more than 2,400 hectares and was spreading in all directions, with a significant emergency response continuing around Le Porge, Le Temple and Saumos.

Additionally, authorities have ordered the precautionary evacuation of the village of Claouey and parts of the commune of Lège, including the Grand Housteau housing estate and the La Pinède and La Prairie campsites. Residents were directed to evacuation centres in Biganos, while those outside the affected zones were instructed to remain indoors. Sections of the RD106 road were also closed as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.

The evacuation figure exceeds 20,000 after the prefecture issued successive evacuation orders over the past two days, including overnight evacuations from campsites and tourist areas, precautionary evacuations of residential neighbourhoods and the later evacuation of Claouey.

The Gironde department was placed under a red wildfire alert on July 21 after Prefect Sophie Brocas introduced reinforced restrictions in forested areas because of an "exceptionally high" fire risk.

"Faced with a particularly high risk of fire, the Prefect of Gironde has decided to place the department at a very high vigilance level (red – level 4 on a scale of 5)," the prefecture said in a statement.

The restrictions prohibit access to vulnerable forest areas during the afternoon and evening, ban the use of thermal and electric equipment capable of generating sparks, suspend outdoor sports, leisure and cultural events, and prohibit fireworks, sky lanterns and the burning of green waste across the department.

"In the current context, the vast majority of fires are caused by human activity (nine out of 10). I call on everyone to exercise the greatest vigilance and to strictly respect these measures in order to prevent any fire and to protect people, property and forests," Brocas said.

France's national weather agency, Météo-France, warned that wildfire danger remained high to very high across southern and western parts of the country as a prolonged heatwave continued to dry vegetation and create favourable conditions for fires to spread.

Brocas later visited the SDIS command post at Le Porge, where she thanked firefighters and emergency personnel for their "courage and dedication" in tackling the blaze.

The prefecture's updates drew criticism on social media, with some users questioning whether authorities had done enough to prepare for the wildfire season and raising concerns about the availability of firefighting resources as the blaze continued to spread.