PARIS, France: President Emmanuel Macron convened a crisis meeting on July 27 as a French wildfire near Bordeaux forced 220,000 people to evacuate Gironde and burned about 42,000 hectares.
The fire began near Saumos on July 22 before spreading towards the Bordeaux metropolitan area. Authorities evacuated another 55,000 people from Marcheprime, Cestas, Mios, Biganos and Le Barp overnight into July 26.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the situation remained “very unfavourable.” The fire generated its own winds and advanced erratically towards Bordeaux before becoming calmer later in the night, AFP reported.
About 2,500 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel and 18 aircraft were deployed across Gironde. The Associated Press reported that 75 firefighters had suffered injuries during the operation.
Gironde Prefect Sophie Brocas said the wildfire had affected 240 homes. However, authorities had not specified how many were destroyed and how many sustained damage, according to the latest local situation report.
Officials reported no deaths from the Saumos fire. The toll remained separate from another Gironde fire near Bordeaux-Mérignac airport that killed two firefighters earlier in the week.
Read: France and Spain Wildfires Force 200,000 to Flee Homes
Authorities had not ordered the evacuation of Bordeaux itself. However, they barred residents from returning to evacuated communities until firefighters contained the blaze.
The A63 motorway remained partly closed, while rail services south of Bordeaux faced disruption. Across southwestern France, wildfires had displaced more than 250,000 people, the Associated Press reported
