Wildfires continue to rage in France; mass evacuation ordered
10,000 residents forced to evacuate the region
Wildfires tore through the Gironde region of southwestern France on Wednesday, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of 10,000 residents. Fires, which have razed about 6,200 hectares (15,320), have now crossed in the neighbouring Landes region.
Door to door campaign for the evacuation
"Prepare your papers, the animals you can take with you, some belongings," the Gironde municipality of Belin-Beliet said on Facebook before evacuating parts of the town. In the nearby village of Hostens, police had earlier been door to door telling residents to leave as the fire advanced.
Firefighting aircraft in action
A firefighting aircraft sprays fire retardant over trees during the wildfire. France, like the rest of Europe, has been struggling this summer with successive heatwaves and its worst drought on record. Dozens of wildfires are ablaze across the country, including at least eight major ones.
Multiple wildfires causing the damage
Fires were also raging in the southern departments of Lozere and Aveyron. In the Maine et Loire department in western France, more than 1,200 hectares have been scorched by another fire. Authorities believe the latest inferno was a result of the previous fires still smouldering in the area's peaty soil.
Wildfire smoke overpowers the Sun
This picture taken on August 10, 2022, shows the sun clouded by smoke of a wildfire. "The fire is creating its own wind," senior local official Martin Guespereau told reporters, adding that efforts to fight it were made more difficult by how unpredictable it was.
More than 57,200 hectares torched
Firefighter take position in their vehicles as a fire burns in a forest near homes in Clefs-Val-D'Anjou, near La Fleche, western France. The intense mobilisation of firefighters has not halted the spread of fires in the area. More than 57,200 hectares have gone up in flames so far in France this year, nearly six times the full-year average for 2006-2021
Sweden and Italy to send help
Reportedly, Sweden and Italy are among the countries preparing to send help to France. Meanwhile, in Portugal, nearly 1,200 firefighters backed by eight aircraft have battled a blaze in the mountainous Covilha area some 280 kilometres northeast of Lisbon that has burned more than 3,000 hectares of forest since Saturday.
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