Before-and-after satellite images show the staggering toll of France's worst wildfire season on record

Before-and-after satellite photos show wildfires in Ponteves, France. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS Weeks of record-breaking heat and fast-moving wildfires have scorched large swaths of France.French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in a statement on Friday that 116,085 hectares of land had burned in wildfires across France this year, amounting to the country's worst wildfire season on record.Around 250,000 people have been evacuated in the affected areas of the Gironde and Landes regions of southwest France since the wildfires began in mid-July, France's Interior Ministry said.Record-breaking heat waves across Europe and prolonged drought conditions have contributed to the severity of the damage.Photos show plumes of smoke visible from space, burned remains of neighborhoods, and France's continued firefighting efforts. A satellite photo of Pontevès, France, taken on July 19, before the wildfires broke out, showed the valleys, vineyards, and landscapes that have made it a tourist destination. Satellite imagery of Pontevès, France, taken on July 19, before it was affected by wildfires. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS This satellite photo from July 21 showed thick smoke clouds from active wildfires engulfing the region. Satellite imagery of a wildfire in Pontevès, France, taken on July 21, 2026. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS On the ground, firefighters in Pontevès deployed hose teams to put out remaining flames and prevent reignition in the blackened forests. Firefighters near Domaine de la Marseillaise in Pontevès, Var, France. Thibaut Durand/Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect Before the wildfires, a satellite image taken near Le Porge in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, on July 21 showed parts of the coastal village and surrounding pine forests. Satellite imagery shows an area before it was affected by wildfire, near Le Porge, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, on July 21. 2026 PLANET LABS PBC/via REUTERS Just two days later, satellite imagery showed wildfires producing plumes of smoke. Satellite imagery shows burned areas and smoke rising from a wildfire near Le Porge on July 23. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS Le Porge was devastated by the wildfires, its streets strewn with the charred remnants of homes and vehicles. A drone captured a burnt building in an area affected by wildfire, in Le Porge, Gironde, on July 26. Manon Cruz/REUTERS Smoke from nearby wildfires cast a yellow haze over the French city of Bordeaux, known for its Gothic architecture and red wine. Bordeaux, France, was covered in smoke from wildfires. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images The Bordeaux Exhibition Center was converted into an emergency shelter for evacuees, offering food, medical care, and psychological services. Wildfire evacuees in the Bordeaux Exhibition Center. Albert Llop/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect Smoke-filled skies glowed orange over Arès in the Gironde department in southwestern France. Smoke from wildfires in Arès, Gironde, France. Stephane Mahe/REUTERS Over 250,000 firefighters continue to work across France to contain and extinguish the flames, the French Interior Ministry said. A firefighter in Saint-Jean-d'Illac near Bordeaux, France. ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images The French government also deployed aircraft, including Canadair water bombers, Dash 8 aerial firefighters, and French Air Force A400M military transport planes, to aid firefighters on the ground. A Canadair water bomber drops water on an advancing wildfire near Cotignac, Var, France. Thibaut Durand/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images