Wildfires displace more than 250,000 in France, threaten famed wine region
Wildfires sweeping through south-western France have forced more than 250,000 people from their homes as flames advance towards Bordeaux, the country's celebrated wine-producing region. Officials say the blaze has grown so intense that it is generating its own winds, making its behaviour erratic and difficult to predict, prompting authorities to deploy the military and reduce the scale of the Tour de France to help firefighters tackle the fires.
The wildfire in France forms part of a broader crisis across southern Europe, with more than 250,000 evacuations recorded across both France and Spain, where a national emergency has been declared. The disaster follows a period of extreme heat in France, which recorded over 5,700 excess deaths during an earlier summer heatwave, underscoring the severity of the conditions fuelling the blazes.
In short
- Wildfire nears Bordeaux, forcing 250,000+ evacuations in France.
- Blaze creating own winds, behaving erratically, officials warn.
- Spain declares national emergency amid wider European wildfire crisis.
Explained simply
South-western France is experiencing wildfires that have forced over 250,000 people to evacuate their homes. The fires are advancing towards Bordeaux, one of the world's most famous wine-producing regions, and have become so intense that they generate their own winds, making them difficult for firefighters to predict and control. Authorities have deployed the military and scaled back the Tour de France cycle race to free up resources for firefighting efforts.
These fires are part of a wider crisis affecting southern Europe, with Spain also experiencing major wildfires and declaring a national emergency. The blazes have been fuelled by extreme heat that has gripped the region, and France recorded over 5,700 excess deaths during an earlier summer heatwave, illustrating the severity of such weather conditions.