Over 20,000 evacuated as wildfire rages in southwest France

More than 20,000 residents and tourists have been evacuated as a fast-moving wildfire swept through southwest France. The blaze in Le Porge, just south of Medoc wine country, burning around 3,400 hectares of forest near Bordeaux. Around 800 firefighters, supported by aircraft and soldiers, are battling the blaze, which authorities believe may have been sparked by a brush-clearing machine in the dense pine forest near the village of Saumos. Three houses and a caravan have been destroyed, but no injuries have been reported. The authorities said they had evacuated 12,000 residents and tourists from campsites and holiday lets late on Wednesday, then a further 8,800 from more camping sites on Thursday.

Fast-moving wildfires in southern France forced more than 10,000 people from their homes and campsites near the Atlantic coast, with military personnel assisting firefighters to contain the blaze pic.twitter.com/8RdLa1H5S4

— Patrick (@quickndg) July 24, 2026

The European Union has deployed three water-bombing aircraft after France requested assistance. The wildfire comes amid repeated heatwaves across France that have created severe fire conditions. Officials said high temperatures and strong winds are hampering firefighting efforts.
France has been battered by three heatwaves since May as part of increasingly common extreme weather episodes linked to climate change, causing excess deaths, drying up rivers and fuelling wildfires. Of the 53 heatwaves recorded nationwide since 1947 until late June, half have occurred since 2010, according to national weather office Meteo-France.