Massive wildfire in France's Gironde region threatens Bordeaux outskirts

A colossal wildfire in France's Gironde region, ignited five days ago in Saumos, continues its relentless advance, now approaching the outskirts of Bordeaux. While the fire is reportedly 15 kilometers from the city's metropolitan area, Mayor Thomas Cazenave has reaffirmed that evacuating Bordeaux is "not on the agenda." He stated the fire remains at the edge of the metropolis but is not progressing on its western flank.

The scale of the disaster is immense, with 42,000 hectares ravaged by the flames, making this one of the most significant fires recorded in France since World War II. The 1949 forest fire in the Landes de Gascogne, the deadliest in French history, consumed approximately 50,000 hectares. The current inferno has led to the evacuation of 220,000 people in the department, an operation described as one of the largest ever organized in France due to fires.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the situation as "very unfavorable," noting that the fire had become "extremely virulent, unpredictable... evolving erratically" towards the Bordeaux metropolitan area before calming slightly. In the village of Le Porge, located between Cap Ferret and Bordeaux, aerial images show rows of devastated houses, carbonized cars, and completely destroyed buildings. The fire has forced the evacuation of 55,000 new people since Saturday evening in communes southeast of the Bassin or near the metropolis.

Residents like Aurore Vigreux, evacuated from Barp with her daughter, found refuge with her ex-husband in Hostens, a commune itself on pre-evacuation alert. Vigreux, a 38-year-old lawyer, managed to evacuate with her rabbit, cat, and dog, and is considering moving further to Perpignan. The number of evacuees sheltered at the Bordeaux exhibition center has decreased to 2,500 from 5,000-6,000 the previous day, with "able-bodied" evacuees being offered more sustainable housing solutions.