Thousands of emergency workers from across Europe have joined forces to battle wildfires around the French city of Bordeaux, while also taking part in one of the largest evacuations the continent has seen since the Second World War – even as new heatwaves threatens to worsen fire outbreaks in France and Spain.
Sophie Brocas, the prefect of Gironde and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, said the main blaze that has scorched 42,000 hectares – an area more than four times the size of Paris – had been “stabilised” as of Wednesday morning. But alerts remained across the country with temperatures expected to reach 41°C.
Brocas said “mobilisation remains total” for relief operations.
Shorts
An estimated 2,500 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel and 1,200 police officers have been deployed to tackle the blaze and support rescue activities around Bordeaux, according to local authorities.
