France wildfire forces thousands of tourists to evacuate

Thousands of tourists and hundreds of residents evacuated their homes and campsites in France as a wildfire raged across 800 hectares. Firefighters worked to contain the blaze in the Gironde department, battling difficult conditions with around 500 personnel, four planes, and 150 vehicles. No injuries were reported among the tourists and residents evacuated from Le Porge.

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The Gironde department prefecture ordered a large-scale evacuation after noon.

Authorities ordered a large-scale evacuation, directing about 700 residents from two Le Porge districts and approximately 3,500 campers to a nearby resort in Lacanau. The beach at Le Porge, with about 600 vehicles, was also cleared.

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About 700 residents were ordered to leave two districts of Le Porge, and a campsite with about 3,500 vacationers was also evacuated.

The incident occurred as the Gironde department remains under a red alert for fire risk. Officials urged residents to follow instructions and exercise extreme caution. The high alert follows a tragic incident on Tuesday, where two firefighters lost their lives near Bordeaux Airport when their vehicle was engulfed by flames while fighting a separate fire.

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The highest red level fire risk is still in effect in the Gironde department, and authorities are urging residents to follow official instructions and be extremely careful.