France orders 4,000 more evacuations as fires ravage southwest Europe

French authorities issued new evacuation orders for nearly 4,000 people from tourist areas on the Atlantic coast as a massive wildfire west of Bordeaux threatened to reignite. The fire in the Gironde region has already scorched an area four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people to evacuate. Across France and Spain, the scale of displacement has reached over 330,000 people.

Firefighters managed to keep the Gironde blaze in check overnight, controlling flare-ups near coastal dunes. While authorities described the fire as stabilized, they cautioned it was not fixed and could spread again as temperatures rise and humidity drops. The precautionary evacuation order affects campsites and holiday villages around the resort of Lacanau.

"We are at a point of fragility," said Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for France’s national firefighters federation. "We will continue attacking this fire despite the forecast rise in temperatures." Despite the dangers, some families were reluctant to abandon expensive holidays, while others debated forfeiting trips that cost hundreds of euros each.

This year, over 1,160 square kilometers (448 square miles) have burned across France. Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, according to the EU's Copernicus climate service, with Western Europe experiencing its hottest June on record. Extreme heat and widespread dryness have fueled the spread of fires.

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We are at a point of fragility. We will continue attacking this fire despite the forecast rise in temperatures.