Around 4,000 tourists have been evacuated from campsites and holiday villages in south west France, as firefighters continue to battle a huge wildfire.
The massive wildfire that has burnt 42,000 hectares in Gironde since July 22nd remains “under control” on Tuesday morning following a “quiet” night - although authorities are worried that the forecast heatwave will once again fan the flames.
On Tuesday morning the préfecture gave the order to evacuate campsites, holiday homes and leisure parks around the Lacanau lake - around 4,000 people - saying this was "as a precaution, in anticipation of adverse weather conditions".
The lake - around 15km north of the fire zone, is the site of the viral photo of beach-goers watching smoke rise from the wildfires, which was taken on Friday.
Beach goers rest on the beach of Moutchic on the shore of Lake Lacanau (Etang de Lacanau) in Lacanau , southwestern France on July 24, 2026. Photo by Maximilien LAMY / AFP
