Wildfire burns 42,000 hectares in France and forces 250,000 evacuations

The forest fire raging in the French department of Gironde, in the southwest of the country, forced the evacuation of more than 250,000 people and scorched some 42,000 hectares, the most severe episode in a wildfire season that is already breaking records in France. The fire started the previous Wednesday in the touristy Arcachon Bay and came within just 15 kilometers of Bordeaux, although the city’s mayor ruled out a total evacuation.

An unprecedented military and aerial deployment

The Ministry of the Armed Forces deployed about 1,000 military personnel to protect sensitive installations, including gunpowder and missile factories, adding to roughly 1,500 firefighters and 18 aerial assets, including a military A400 plane capable of carrying 20 tons of fire retardant. The prefect of Gironde, Sophie Broca, described the situation as “incredibly serious” and did not authorize the return of evacuees until the fire was under control. A thermal spike of up to 40 degrees was also expected, which could reactivate the flames. The material damage stands at about 240 destroyed homes; there were no civilian casualties, but 75 firefighters were injured.

The worst wildfire season in recent history

In the neighboring department of Landes, another fire burned 3,600 hectares and displaced 36,000 people; in the southeast, in Var, a “rotating” fire ravaged 4,500 hectares with 3,000 evacuations. France is experiencing the worst wildfire season in its recent history: more than 13,000 outbreaks and about 115,000 hectares burned since the start of 2026, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. President Emmanuel Macron chaired an interministerial crisis cell to coordinate the state’s response to an ongoing emergency.