More than 10,000 evacuated in southwestern France as wildfire spreads

Five hundred firefighters ‌are battling to control the blaze

July 23, 2026 06:25

SAUMOS: More than 10,000 people were evacuated overnight in ​southwestern France as a rapidly spreading wildfire scorched through 2,000 hectares of land west of the city of Bordeaux, officials said ‌on Thursday. Wildfires ‌have burnt ​more ‌land ⁠in ​Europe already ⁠this year than the annual average in the past two decades, data shows, as the world’s fastest-warming continent ⁠has endured three ‌stifling, virtually ‌back-to-back heatwaves so ​far this ‌year.

Five hundred firefighters ‌are battling to control the blaze, the prefecture said, adding that the wildfire ‌was very rough, but that no one has ⁠been ⁠injured so far.