PARIS, July 28 — France is confronting a wildfire emergency described as its most serious since World War II, with exceptional blazes continuing to spread across the densely forested coastal regions of Gironde and Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest.

The scale of the crisis has triggered population movements not witnessed in France for decades. Vast areas of pine forest stretching across the region have been consumed, forcing communities to evacuate and placing emergency services under intense pressure.

Since the beginning of the year, fires have burned approximately 116,000 hectares of forest, including 42,000 hectares in Gironde and the surrounding region during a single week.

Authorities have deployed 2,750 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel and 1,440 police and gendarmerie officers to contain the expanding fires and support affected communities.

Dozens of fire engines have arrived from across France, while at least 18 specialised aircraft have been mobilised. The fleet includes Canadair water bombers capable of filling their tanks directly from the sea or nearby lakes.

An M400 military transport aircraft has also joined the operation after being specially equipped with a tank capable of carrying 16,000 litres of water or fire retardant.

Mass Evacuations and Economic Damage

The fires have forced around 225,000 people to leave their homes and disrupted the operations of approximately 15,000 companies and institutions across southwestern France.

Tens of thousands of workers have been placed on temporary unemployment, while financial losses have reached hundreds of millions. The emergency has also severely affected the summer tourism season in an area known for its coastal resorts and beaches.

Local authorities have recorded the destruction of at least 250 homes. The fires have also produced a major pollution crisis, created public-health concerns and caused extensive environmental damage.

France has requested assistance from its European partners as the scale of the emergency exceeds the capacity of national resources.

Paris has used emergency satellite maps supplied through the European Copernicus programme since fires began spreading through Gironde.

Seven firefighting aircraft and four specialised helicopters have arrived through European assistance, along with an additional helicopter from Switzerland.

However, Canadair aircraft cannot operate at night. Of the 12 Canadair planes owned by France, four are currently undergoing refurbishment, while several have been in service for approximately 30 years.

France recently signed a contract to purchase four additional aircraft, but two are not expected to arrive until 2028 and the remaining two until 2030. The delays have fuelled political criticism and accusations that the authorities were insufficiently prepared for a disaster of this scale.

Macron Takes Direct Control of Crisis Response

Management of the emergency had initially been led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.

The worsening situation, expanding evacuations and growing threat to Bordeaux prompted President Emmanuel Macron to become directly involved.

Macron chaired a ministerial and security meeting on Monday to assess the crisis. The wildfires also dominated the final cabinet meeting before the summer recess.

He later visited Bordeaux to review firefighting plans and express the government’s support for emergency workers exhausted by days of continuous operations.

Firefighters experienced temporary relief on Monday afternoon and overnight after the flames stopped advancing and the immediate threat to Bordeaux receded.

Conditions deteriorated again on Tuesday as temperatures increased and winds returned, blowing from the Atlantic coast toward inland areas.

Severe drought helped the fires regain strength, sending columns of black smoke hundreds of metres into the sky and reviving fears that the flames could advance toward Bordeaux.

Authorities evacuated 4,000 people from a summer camp in Lacanau. Residents who had already left their homes in Gironde were prevented from returning because the fires remained uncontrolled.

Many displaced people are sheltering in crowded sports halls and sleeping on mattresses placed directly on the floor.

In the Landes department, firefighters contained a blaze after it burned 3,600 hectares and damaged 198 buildings. Nearly 200 structures were destroyed in Biscarrosse, a town whose population rises significantly during the tourist season.

Improving conditions allowed approximately 15,000 residents of Sanguinet and Parentis-en-Born to begin returning to their homes on Monday evening.

New Heatwave Raises Fears of Further Escalation

A third major heatwave within a single month is expected to reach France on Wednesday. Temperatures could approach 40 degrees Celsius across several regions, including the southwest.

“The situation we face today is the most serious ever recorded and the most difficult since World War II,” Macron said during his visit to Bordeaux.

Officials have described the emergency as a “war against fire” extending far beyond southwestern France.

Fires remain active in the Var department along the Mediterranean coast, in Corsica near the central city of Corte and in an elevated area of the French Alps. Their geographical spread is complicating the response by dividing available personnel and equipment.

The current crisis has revived memories of the 1949 disaster in Landes, south of Bordeaux, when fires destroyed 50,000 hectares of forest. If the present blazes regain the intensity recorded last week, the scale of destruction could exceed that historic catastrophe.

Since the first week of July, authorities have arrested 162 people on suspicion of involvement in starting fires. Fifteen remain in prison, while five have received sentences after being convicted of causing fires.

Two firefighters, including a 19-year-old, admitted involvement in deliberately starting a fire.

The emergency has injured 93 firefighters, while two others died after being trapped by flames inside their vehicle.

High-speed rail services between Bordeaux and southern cities including Bayonne and Biarritz remain suspended. Major roads between Bordeaux and Bayonne have also been closed in both directions.