Wildfires in southwest France have forced another 7,000 people to evacuate, the local authority said on Thursday, bringing the total to around 12,000.
Authorities evacuated 7,000 people "as a precaution" early Thursday from six campsites and a residential area north of the Cap Ferret upmarket tourist hotspot.
The local authority said late Wednesday that fires had ravaged around 2,000 hectares (nearly 5,000 acres). The fast-moving wildfire in the Gironde département has been described by firefighters as having "rare" intensity.
Meanwhile, a separate wildfire in the Var département, which broke out on Tuesday in a field near Pontevès, was no longer advancing by Wednesday evening but had not yet been brought under control. The fire has scorched almost 2,500 hectares, including parts of the Gros Bessillon mountain range in central Var.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Wednesday that France has recorded 12,500 wildfire outbreaks since the start of 2026. Speaking at a fire station near Bordeaux after meeting the families of two firefighters who died while tackling a blaze near the city's airport, he said 44,000 hectares have already burned this year.
