Farmers Aid Firefighters Battling Massive French Forest Inferno Before New Heatwave

Farmers have joined firefighters on the front lines, using tractors and water tanks to help contain a devastating wildfire raging in southwest France. The blaze, which has already burned 42,000 hectares (103,000 acres) of forest, an area larger than Detroit, remains out of control and has forced the evacuation of 220,000 people.

The fire, which began Wednesday, has destroyed approximately 240 homes as residents and tourists flee during the peak summer holidays. "The fire is not contained, which means it's still burning," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters in Paris, urging continued caution. Overnight drizzle provided slight relief, but efforts are focused on extinguishing as much of the blaze as possible before a new heatwave hits this week.

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The fire is not contained, which means it's still burning.

President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit the stricken area near Bordeaux to offer support. France has experienced three heatwaves since May, contributing to increasingly common extreme weather events linked to climate change. These conditions have fueled wildfires and caused thousands of excess deaths.

Civilians are stepping up to assist. Farmer and wood transporter Christopher Bonnefond, 25, traveled from another part of France with colleagues to help. "We want to help," he said, standing near a giant plastic cistern typically used for manure, which was being filled with water for firefighting planes. "I'm a hunter and I want nature to stay like it is." Firefighting planes, including a modified A400M military transport aircraft, continue to drop retardant over the burning forests, while the landscape is marked by smoldering trees and destroyed homes.

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We want to help. I'm a hunter and I want nature to stay like it is.