Firefighters continue to battle forest fires in western France.Image: keystone
Extreme weather
July 24, 2026, 07:19July 24, 2026, 07:19
In France, the fire brigade continues to fight several large forest fires on the Atlantic coast and in the south of the country with a large contingent. The situation remained threatening on the coast near Bordeaux, which is popular with German tourists, where around 20,000 people have been evacuated since Wednesday, mainly from campsites and holiday resorts. It is still completely unclear when they will be able to return to their holiday accommodation.
For the time being, those affected were accommodated in emergency accommodation and alternative accommodation in neighboring holiday resorts. In Bordeaux, an exhibition hall was also opened to accommodate evacuated tourists. The gendarmerie coordinated the evacuations and guarded the deserted campsites and holiday centers, where many people had to abandon caravans and tents.
Location on the Atlantic coast remains unfavorable
As the prefecture in Bordeaux announced in the evening, the fire has now spread to 4,800 hectares. The situation remains unfavorable as the fire remains very active throughout the affected area. Temperatures of up to 39 degrees were again expected in the region today. One firefighter has been injured so far, but no one else has been seriously injured.
A firefighting plane fights the fire.Image: keystone
The fire department was deployed with 800 personnel, 260 vehicles, five firefighting aircraft and one firefighting helicopter. Three more firefighting planes were to be sent to the region via the European Union’s assistance mechanism, it was said from Brussels in the evening. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Platform
Another fire also spread on the Atlantic coast south of Bordeaux in the area of the town of Biscarrosse. A delivery truck caught fire there and the flames quickly spread to nature. By late evening, 1,200 hectares had already burned down and 5,000 people had been evacuated.
Fire flares up again in southern France
Meanwhile, in southern France, a forest fire flared up again in the mountainous hinterland northeast of Marseille around the town of Pontevès, which the emergency services had now gotten somewhat under control. Around 500 residents from several towns were evacuated as a precautionary measure in the afternoon, and some of them were able to return in the evening, the Var department said. 800 firefighters, supported by more than 100 soldiers, fought the fire. Firefighting aircraft were also used here.
“Tonight our emergency services are engaged in a real battle against the forest fires,” said France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, emphasizing the commitment of everyone involved. “To everyone who is fighting the flames to protect the French, their property and our forests: the nation is behind you,” said the minister.
Firefighters at work in southern France.Image: keystone
France is converting military transport aircraft into firefighting aircraft
In view of the devastating forest fires, France is now quickly converting a large Airbus A400M military transport aircraft for fire-fighting operations. The Ministry of Defense announced in Paris that the appropriately equipped machine, which can drop 20 tons of water in one go, will be ready for use within ten days. Technical preparations, training of military personnel and test flights began on Monday.
The transport plane holds twice as much water as a conventional firefighting plane. In total, France has 67 firefighting aircraft and helicopters. These have recently been in continuous use due to numerous fires. For the first time ever, firefighting planes recently took water on the Seine south of Paris to fight a large fire in the Fontainebleau forest. (nil/sda/dpa)