Mark Carlson, Emma da Silva and John LeicesterJul 28, 2026 – 5.01amLege-Cap-Ferret, France | French President Emmanuel Macron urged fire crews to “stay strong” as they battled on Monday to bring a monster wildfire under control, warning that the fight will take time but vowing, “We will win this battle together.”On a visit to a coordination centre for the massive firefighting effort in southwest France, Macron heard how the blaze raging since last week has been wildly unpredictable, transforming at times into a self-feeding firestorm as it burned through an area four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people to flee their homes.APSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles