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- October 13, 202618°
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- October 13, 202618°
Nearly 200,000 evacuated as wildfires ravage southwestern France
Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated as days-long wildfires in southwestern France have turned 98,000 hectares to ash. Officials are preparing for all scenarios, including Bordeaux.
Wildfires in southwestern France's Gironde and Landes departments have forced nearly 200,000 people to evacuate, with the blazes still out of control.
Nationwide, 98,000 hectares have burned so far this year due to the wildfires, a figure authorities describe as a "historic record."
Situation in Gironde
The Gironde Prefecture announced that the fire, which has been burning since July 22, has turned 32,700 hectares to ash and forced 167,000 people to evacuate. Approximately 60,000 of those evacuations took place last night. Fifty-four firefighters were lightly injured during the response.
The government has deployed 1,000 military personnel and an A400M military transport aircraft to the region. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said about 6,000 people are being sheltered at the city's exhibition centre. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stated that the fire is approaching central Bordeaux and that Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has ordered preparations for all scenarios, including the evacuation of the city. Cazenave, however, said evacuating the city is not yet on the table. Thousands were also evacuated from the resort town of Cap-Ferret.
Landes and other regions
In the Landes department, 2,600 hectares have been scorched and more than 500 firefighters are battling the fire. 31,000 people have been evacuated from the region.
The fire that broke out midweek in Ponteves, in the Var department, remains uncontrolled, and authorities have announced that further evacuations may be ordered. Meanwhile, on Corsica, around 900 hectares have burned in Haute-Corse, where close to 300 firefighters and three helicopters are working. Active fires in the Hautes-Alpes towns of L'Argentiere-la-Bessee and Freissinieres have also destroyed 510 hectares.
Hundreds of firefighters from Paris have been sent to the southwest for support. Prime Minister Lecornu announced that a new inter-ministerial crisis meeting will be held later in the day.
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