France wildfires trigger exodus

Published: 05:07 PM,Jul 25,2026 | EDITED : 09:07 PM,Jul 25,2026

Bystanders look on as fire and smoke billow across Castres-Mazamet aerodrome, near Labruguiere in south-western France on July 24, 2026. France and Spain evacuated more than 160,000 people as unprecedented forest fires ravaged areas on July 25, 2026, near Madrid and Bordeaux, a French city flanked by tourist havens and world-renowned vineyards. French President Emmanuel Macron asked the army to mobilise to help contain the worst wildfire the country has ever seen after seeking European Union help, as a local official warned the blaze was heading towards Bordeaux. (Photo by Daniel ABELOUS / AFP)

BORDEAUX: Amid rows of camp beds and stacks of food supplies at a makeshift shelter in Bordeaux, thousands of tourists and locals try to regain their composure after fleeing wildfires sweeping through southwest France. Many are anxious about the fate of their homes, while others have had their holidays abruptly cut short.
Masks are distributed upon request. Smoke still hangs in the air, although it is easier to breathe than the previous evening, when the acrid smell of fire spread across Bordeaux. Hundreds of firefighters have over the past few days been battling blazes in the southwest of France famous for its sand dunes, pine trees and oyster shacks.
Rapidly spreading blazes have forced authorities to evacuate tens of thousands of people from the swanky Cap Ferret peninsula and surrounding villages, in one of the largest evacuation operations ever conducted in France. Most of the evacuees, coming from the Arcachon Bay area and towns near Bordeaux that are now threatened by the fire, arrived during the night. — AFP

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France wildfires trigger exodus