France: Firefighters Battle Massive Blaze Near Cap Ferret Overnight

A fierce battle against flames raged through the night near Cap Ferret as hundreds of firefighters fought a large wildfire in the northern Arcachon Bay area. Videos captured the intense struggle, showing "walls of flames" devouring pine forests and sparks flying into the night sky.

Fire crews advanced on foot with hoses, while others worked to halt the fire's spread along forest tracks. The scene was illuminated by the flashing blue lights of emergency vehicles and the orange glow of the inferno. The conditions were extremely difficult, with dry vegetation and strong winds fanning the flames and pushing the fire toward Lège-Cap-Ferret.

By early morning, the fire had scorched over 4,800 hectares, according to the latest figures from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine prefecture. Nearly 20,000 people were preemptively evacuated from the surrounding areas. In a separate incident, a vehicle fire on Thursday near Biscarrosse in the Landes region quickly escalated, burning over 2,500 hectares and reaching the outskirts of the town.