French President Emmanuel Macron called a crisis meeting with his cabinet on Monday to coordinate responses to a large wildfire in the country’s southwest that has advanced toward the city of Bordeaux. The meeting was organized as meteorological forecasts predicted another heatwave for the region later in the week, according to government statements.
The fire is located in the Gironde department, a major wine-producing area. On Monday, the provincial authority for Gironde stated the situation was “broadly stable” following overnight efforts by firefighting crews.
On Sunday, Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave reported that the fire was “still at the gates of the metropolitan area.” Officials confirmed the flames were approximately 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Bordeaux metropolitan area, which has a population of about 850,000.
Local officials described the scale of the fire as significant. “This is a fire of a size never seen before,” said Jerome Steffe, the mayor of Cestas, a commune located near Bordeaux.
Wildfires across France and Spain have led to large-scale evacuations. Reports from news agencies, including Reuters and The Associated Press, indicate that more than 300,000 people have been displaced in France, while over 75,000 have been evacuated in Spain.
The fires coincide with a period of high temperatures across Europe. Several European countries have registered record-breaking temperatures during multiple heatwaves this summer.
In Spain, officials reported on Monday that fires approaching the capital, Madrid, had “slowed their advance.” The regional government said it would begin allowing some evacuated residents to return to their homes.
Rocio Dominguez, a 35-year-old resident who evacuated from her home in Chapineria, west of Madrid, described her experience to reporters. “It looked like the apocalypse,” she said. “You couldn’t see anything. Everything was covered in ash.”
Firefighting efforts are ongoing in both France and Spain. Authorities continue to monitor the situation as high temperatures persist in the region.
