A fierce wildfire near Bordeaux in south-west France has led to the evacuation of a further 7,000 people on Thursday, bringing the total number of tourists and residents moved to 12,000, local authorities said.

Issued on: 23/07/2026 - 07:31

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The precautionary measure affects six campsites and a naturist residential estate north of Cap Ferret, a heavily visited area during the summer. The fire has been burning since Wednesday near the Arcachon basin and has now spread across some 2,000 hectares. No casualties have been reported so far, authorities said. “We have a very dense concentration of closely spaced pines, typical of the Landes de Gascogne massif,” Captain Wilfried Schneider told French press agency AFP on Wednesday, describing the blaze as one of “rare” intensity.

Vegetation in a residential neighborhood is engulfed in flames in Cotignac, southeastern France, on July 22, 2026. AFP - THIBAUD MORITZ