- The Gironde prefecture said the fire was fixed but not extinguished, while the region stayed under France's highest red forest-fire alert amid dry conditions and soaring temperatures.
- About 3,000 firefighters remained deployed across the two fronts, with additional firefighters from Ukraine, Lithuania and French Polynesia expected Sunday and Monday.
- A newer blaze in Provence had stopped advancing overnight but was not yet contained; nearly 1,500 firefighters in the southeastern Var department battled a fire covering roughly 18 square kilometers in little more than a day.
- The Gros Bessillon hills blaze was stabilized Sunday morning and had not expanded overnight, but unlike the Gironde fire it was not declared contained.
- In the central Var, about 2,500 people were evacuated as the blaze became the fourth major fire to strike the area since July 19; a smaller fire near Brignoles had earlier forced a Hollywood star, his family and about 700 residents to evacuate.
- Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said France’s wildfires were generally under control but cautioned that conditions remained changeable, named a national coordinator for reconstruction, and more than 1,170 square kilometers (452 square miles) have burned across France this year.
- Scientists at World Weather Attribution calculated that human-caused climate change doubled the chances of extreme fire conditions, and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service says Europe is warming at twice the global average since the 1980s.
Wildfires in France and Spain have escalated, with the Gironde region's fire near Bordeaux forcing 224,000 evacuations and burning 420 square kilometers in 10 days. The blaze is contained but still active, as authorities remain vigilant against rekindling flames due to dry conditions and high temperatures.
In Provence, nearly 1,500 firefighters are combating a separate fire that has scorched 18 square kilometers in just over a day. Although the fire's advance has stabilized, it has not yet been declared contained. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that while wildfires are generally under control, conditions remain highly changeable.67121314
The Gironde fire, which burned an area four times the size of Paris, was declared contained over the weekend, but 3,000 firefighters continue to work on extinguishing hot spots and securing burned areas. Additional firefighters from Ukraine, Lithuania, and French Polynesia are expected to assist in the ongoing efforts.45
The situation is exacerbated by climate change, which has doubled the chances of extreme fire conditions, according to scientists. More than 1,170 square kilometers have burned across France this year, highlighting the urgent need for effective fire management and climate action.1516
“While the Gironde prefecture said the fire near Bordeaux is “fixed” but not extinguished, the region remains under France’s highest red forest-fire alert amid dry conditions and soaring temperatures. About 3,000 firefighters remain deployed, with reinforcements from Ukraine, Lithuania and French Polynesia expected Sunday and Monday.”
