Wildfires in south-west France flare up as region braces for new 40C heatwave . The race to stop the French woodland fires in their tracks Updated 29 July 2026Firefighters in France are working around the clock to contain wildfires that have been raging in the Gironde region, while bracing for another sharp rise in temperatures."The fire is like David against Goliath," said Eric Brocardi, spokesman of the national firefighters' federation. Four of his colleagues had died in recent weeks across France, he said, and 2,000 had been deployed in the Gironde to contain the flames, which for days have ravaged the countryside between the coastline and Bordeaux.
According to regional prefect Sophie Brocas 14 places that had already been hit by the fires saw new flare-ups on Tuesday. "We are not in the clear," she said. expected to start by Wednesday, bringing temperatures in the area to 40C.Similar temperatures are expected in Spain.Dozens of communities are still threatened by wildfires that forced more than 70,000 to evacuate their homes over the last week.Spain has ended some evacuation orders, allowing about 44,000 people to return home or leave confinement.The Madrid region has been especially affected, but Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said while there were highly challenging hours and days ahead, light was beginning to appear "at the end of the tunnel".In neighbouring Portugal, 400 firefighters were tackling a large fire on three active fronts in the eastern Guarda area.The French city of Bordeaux is not currently under threat, according to officials, despite the fact that one of the wildfires burning on Monday came only 15km (9 miles) from the city's periphery. But Commander Rémi Lassoureille, who is leading the firefighting response in the Gironde region, is still worried."We are frightened about the impact on Bordeaux and the metropolitan area," he said.
Air quality in the city also deteriorated greatly."By Sunday evening everything had really begun to empty out," a holidaymaker from Essex told the BBC, adding that the air was "really smoky" with bits of ash. "People were staying indoors, so it was eerie, and very sad." g masks in Bordeaux due to the smoke. "The fire is like David against Goliath," said the French firefighters' federationThe majority of residents and tourists were wearing masks and the smell of smoke clung on to clothes for days, she said.
A firefighter "got a round of applause" as he walked through the Marché des Chartrons in Bordeaux where restaurants were having to close their doors because of the ash in the air, she added."The city has been very quiet," said Graham White, president of the Bordeaux British Community. "The shops, restaurants and cafes are fairly empty... Interestingly on Sunday when there was still smoke, there were people brave enough to sit outside on terraces."White, who has been living in the area for several years, said this sort of event was "something significant".
But some news reports had suggested the situation in Bordeaux was "akin to being the next Great Fire of London", which was not the case, White added.Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the government was being "very vigilant" in terms of air pollution and urged people in the affected areas to stay indoors. On Tuesday morning the Gironde prefect ordered a new evacuation of all camping sites near the coast at Lacanau, while those in the nearby town were allowed to stay put but told to prepare for sudden evacuation. About 4,000 tourists told to leave the area are in addition to the 220,000 people evacuated around France in recent days.
An estimated 240 homes and houses have been destroyed, officials have said.By midday on Tuesday firefighters were already intervening in various parts of the region to tackle fires that were picking up again. A 23-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of starting a fire in the Var region. is now facing 15 years' imprisonment. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that 184 people had been arrested since 6 July in connection with the fires. firefighters in the Biscarrosse area, south-west of BordeauxPeggy Plouhinec, the general director of Château Picque Caillou - one of the few wine estates on the west side of Bordeaux - told the BBC that her business chose to close at the weekend because of the smoke, but that the situation had improved since then and that a bout of rain on Sunday night had helped.
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