84,000 evacuees were cleared to return to nine southwest France localities Thursday, the clearest sign firefighters have halted the Gironde blaze’s spread after it burned 420 square kilometers.
3,300 firefighters, two dozen aircraft, new 130-kilometer firebreaks and cooler, wetter weather helped contain the fire, though returnees were told to keep bags packed in case evacuations resume.
224,000 people had fled the Bordeaux-region fire, and health officials urged returning residents to wear masks and gloves after smoke drove a spike in asthma-related emergency cases.
Across Europe, fires were still burning in Spain, Germany, England and Turkey, while Romania shut both Cernavoda nuclear reactors because low Danube water levels threatened cooling supplies.
Hundreds of thousands have been displaced across France and Spain during an exceptionally hot, arid summer that has turned much of southern Europe into tinderbox conditions.
Why were 84,000 people allowed home if France’s giant Gironde wildfire was stabilized but still not fully contained?
After burning 42,000 hectares near Bordeaux, is this wildfire a warning of a new normal for southern Europe?
How much damage did the Gironde wildfire do beyond the flames—to tourism, wine estates, transport, and local businesses?
116,000 Hectares Ablaze: How the 2026 Bordeaux Wildfires Reshaped France’s Economy, Communities, and EU Policy
Overview
In the summer of 2026, human-driven climate change and relentless heatwaves created tinder-dry forests across Europe, setting the stage for catastrophic wildfires in southwest France. Human activities, such as carelessness and suspected arson, ignited most fires, which then spread rapidly through highly flammable pine plantations. In Gironde, massive blazes forced the evacuation of 250,000 people, destroyed hundreds of homes, and crippled local businesses and tourism. The fires generated rare 'fire thunderstorms,' making containment even harder. As France and Spain struggled, the EU coordinated a large-scale emergency response, but simultaneous disasters across Europe quickly depleted shared firefighting resources, exposing the urgent need for better prevention, resilient landscapes, and stronger international cooperation.