Inside the desperate operation to save Bordeaux from the wildfires

Thousands of emergency workers from across Europe have joined forces to battle wildfires around the French city of Bordeaux, while also taking part in one of the largest evacuations the continent has seen since the Second World War – even as new heatwaves threatens to worsen fire outbreaks in France and Spain. Sophie Brocas, the ⁠prefect of Gironde and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, said the main blaze that has scorched 42,000 hectares – an area more than four times the size of Paris – had been “stabilised” as of Wednesday morning. But alerts remained across the country with temperatures expected to reach 41°C. Brocas said “mobilisation remains total” for relief operations. Shorts An estimated 2,500 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel and 1,200 police officers have been deployed to tackle the blaze and support rescue activities around Bordeaux, according to local authorities. Those fighting the blazes have been supported by a multinational mission under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, which has seen fire-fighting planes and helicopters deployed from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Turkey. A fire-fighting plane drops fire retardant over a forest near Saint-Jean-d’Illac, during wildfires in southwestern France (Photo: Emma Da Silva/AP) “Almost all of France’s firefighters are there,” said local firefighting commander Matthieu Jomain. “Our European counterparts have come to lend us a hand on the ground and in the air. We have a fleet of over 20 aircraft.” Jomain said the blaze was no longer growing but had not been extinguished. “The strategy remains the same. We strike quickly and strike hard at any new smoke emissions.” Firefighters work to suppress a fire near Ares (Photo: Baz Ratner/Reuters) At least 110 firefighters have been injured during emergency operations, according to local authorities. Meanwhile, a further 4,000 residents and visitors were evacuated from tourist sites west of Bordeaux on Tuesday, to bring the total evacuation figure for France to more than 250,000, the largest-ever displacement in peacetime. President Emanuel Macron said earlier this week that the crisis was among the worst his country has faced since the Second World War. Visiting a disaster relief centre near the city on Tuesday, he warned that “the coming weeks will be tough and we have to hold out”. Evacuees described receiving late-night text message alerts from local authorities marked “URGENT” that said “Evacuate now” and “Forest fire underway”. A burned house in Le Temple village, southwestern France (Photo: Carolina Blumberg/AP) A fleet of 23 aircraft have dropped water and flame retardant on the area to try to contain potential outbreaks. Morgane Bonichot described a chaotic exit from her Bordeaux-area town with her nine-year-old daughter and their pets. “My car had broken down, so neighbours had to drive me, along with my little girl and the animals,” the 40-year-old told the Associated Press. The childcare worker is now staying in a temporary shelter at an 8,000-capacity exhibition centre in Bordeaux, where evacuees receive camp beds, food and medical care, with support from local volunteers. Morgane Bonichot, 40, at an evacuee shelter in Bordeaux (Photo: Eva van Dam/AP) Dozens of towns and villages have been depopulated around Bordeaux in recent days, along with hundreds of homes destroyed. But the apparent containment of the fires may have averted worst-case scenarios, with earlier fears that the city’s 260,000 inhabitants may have been forced to be evacuated. Flames reportedly reached within nine miles of the city. French media also reported that the wildfire came close to reaching sensitive defence and industrial waste sites in the region, where explosives are stored. Firefighters battle the flames in a forested area in southwestern France on 28 July, 2026 (Photo: Emma Da Silva/AP) At the same time, local authorities are dealing with opportunistic criminals. Police in France arrested a man posing as a psychologist charging victims of the fire for treatment, while two others had been arrested for stealing emergency food supplies. Fifteen people have also been arrested on suspicion of arson related to the wildfire over the past week. Spanish authorities expressed confidence on Wednesday that a wildfire west of Madrid, described as the largest in the country’s history, which has destroyed 50,000 hectares of land, had been contained. But a separate blaze on the east coast near Valencia is still spreading rapidly, local media reported, having already destroyed 10,000 hectares and forcing thousands to evacuate. A firefighter works to extinguish flames in the popular tourist area of Cap Ferret in southwestern France (Photo: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the situation was improving but the next 12 hours would be “decisive”. About 90,000 people have been evacuated across Spain due to the wildfires, which have destroyed an estimated 172,000 hectares and counting. Spain has also received support from the EU, including aircraft and firefighting teams, but the bloc warned this week that it was “under pressure” and its resources were being stretched to capacity.