A beach goer stands in lake Lacanau, also called Etang de Lacanau (Lacanau Pond) from the beach of Moutchic in Lacanau, southwestern France on July 24, 2026, as clouds of smoke rise into the sky from a wildfire. Photo by Maximilien LAMY / AFP.
France and Spain evacuated more than 160,000 people as unprecedented forest fires ravaged areas on Saturday near Madrid and Bordeaux, a French city flanked by tourist havens and world-renowned vineyards.
French President Emmanuel Macron asked the army on Friday to mobilise to help contain the worst wildfire the country has ever seen after seeking European Union help, as a local official warned the blaze was heading towards Bordeaux.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of towns near Bordeaux “as a precaution” against the approaching inferno, while traffic information website Bison Fute urged drivers to avoid roads in the area to free up access for emergency services.
Around 44,000 people fled the up-market Cap Ferret peninsula south of Bordeaux, with the only road threatened by flames.
