French Forest Fires Force Evacuation of 12,000 People

Forest fires raging in southwestern France have prompted the evacuation of an additional 7,000 people, raising the total number of evacuees to around 12,000, local authorities reported Thursday. The fires have consumed approximately 2,000 hectares of land.

Early Thursday, authorities preemptively evacuated 7,000 people from six campsites and a residential area north of the popular luxury resort town of Cap Ferret. A separate fire that ignited Wednesday morning in the commune of Saumos had spread across 800 hectares, according to the Bordeaux prefecture.

Around 500 firefighters, supported by four water-bombing aircraft and 150 rescue vehicles, are battling the blazes under extremely challenging weather conditions. The Gironde department remains under the highest level of forest fire alert, a red warning.

Authorities are urging residents to comply with official instructions and exercise maximum caution. The report also noted that two firefighters died on Tuesday when their vehicle became trapped in flames near the Bordeaux airport during a separate incident.