Crews battle heat and flames on decisive day in France wildfire battle
Wildfires in France's southwestern Gironde region have forced tens of thousands of residents and tourists to flee after a week of relentless blazes. Firefighters and volunteers are fighting the flames amid temperatures reaching 40°C.
Firefighters and volunteers in France's southwestern Gironde region are struggling to contain wildfires that have been raging for a week, forcing tens of thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. The situation remains critical as temperatures peak around 40°C, and the fires frequently reignite spontaneously.
The smoke has become thicker and more aggressive, making it difficult to determine the direction of the flames. Traveling west from Bordeaux, roads are empty and villages deserted. The soil, powdery and covered with pinecones and dry leaves, explains the rapid spread of the fire.
So far, 50,000 hectares have been destroyed. Local residents are actively helping. Hugo, 26, who returned from Bali to protect his mother's house in the village of Arès, was refilling his water tank. He expressed defiance: "If it's too late, at least we tried. What will we tell our children?"
Maelys, 23, a nurse with soot on her face, said: "It's horrible, it's our home, our region, our forest, where we grew up. I feel a lot of sadness." She works at the hospital in the morning and helps in the forest in the afternoon, using friends' large water tanks to put out flare-ups.
