A firefighter of Paris Fire Brigade sprays water on hotspots in Marcheprime west of Bordeaux on July 26, 2026 as a wildfire has been ravaging the forest north of the Arcachon Basin (Gironde) since July 22. — AFP pic Summary French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported that the wildfire situation in France remains dire, especially threatening the Unesco-listed city of Bordeaux. In Gironde, the fire has intensified unpredictably, generating its own winds and posing significant challenges for firefighters. A combined force of 2,500 firefighters, military personnel, and police, supported by 18 aircraft, including a specially modified A400M, have been deployed to control the blaze, which has already consumed 42,000 hectares. Additional challenges persist with 3,600 hectares burned in the Landes region and precautionary evacuations in the Var region. First Published: Sunday, 26 Jul 2026 7:02 PM MYT PARIS, July 26 — French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned today the wildfire situation in France was “very unfavourable” as firefighters battled to hold the blazes back from the Unesco-listed city of Bordeaux in the south-west.“Another difficult night on the wildfire front,” Nunez said on X. “The situation remains very unfavourable,” he said, stressing the situation in the southwestern department of Gironde where Bordeaux is located was particularly difficult.“In Gironde, the fire became extremely intense and unpredictable again at the start of the night, generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area,” Nunez said.By the end of the night, the fire had become calmer, he said, adding that total area burned had now reached 42,000 hectare.A total of 2,500 firefighters, including a Swiss firefighting team, 1,500 military personnel and around 1,200 police have been deployed to battle the blazes in Gironde, he said.To combat the blazes, “18 aircraft have been deployed since this morning”, he said, adding that a specially modified A400M military transport aircraft would be used again.Firefighters have also sought to contain a major fire in the adjoining Landes region, where 3,600 hectares have burned, Nunez said.Farther away, in the Var region in southeastern France, nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated “as a precautionary measure,” he added. — AFP