France Lets 149,000 Evacuees Return as Volunteers Battle 42,000-Hectare Wildfires
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 1
France Lets 149,000 Evacuees Return as Volunteers Battle 42,000-Hectare Wildfires
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 1
Summary
Two-thirds of 224,000 evacuees — about 149,000 people — have been allowed back in southwestern France as cooler, more humid air helps stabilize the country’s biggest wildfires in years.
42,000 hectares west of Bordeaux have burned, but officials say the fire is not fully out because underground hot spots keep reigniting in forests parched by more than two months without significant rain.
Volunteers are backing firefighters by dousing flare-ups, reporting smoke and hauling water, while crews rake through smoldering soil to reach buried embers.
308 arrests linked to this summer’s blazes underscore the strain on authorities; investigators suspect one major fire was accidentally sparked by contractors, while other cases involve arson or negligence.
Across Europe, extreme heat and drought are feeding more fires from Greece to England, highlighting a wider summer wildfire crisis.