Firefighters battle to contain ‘monster’ wildfire in southwest France

More than 1,000 firefighters were battling to contain a “monster” wildfire tearing through the southwest of France for a third day on Thursday.

The latest blaze in the Gironde region, close to the wine-growing region around Bordeaux, has so far destroyed more than 6,800 hectares of forest. It is believed to have started from previous fires that were smouldering in the area’s peaty soil.

It comes as France once again battles scorching temperatures.

Around 10,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes as a precaution, with more than a dozen properties scorched by the flames.

“It’s an ogre, it’s a monster,” said Gregory Allione, who works for the firefighting organisation FNSPF.

“It’s a disaster, economically, ecologically, it’s awful,” Jean-Louis Dartiailh, the mayor of Hostens, a town near the blaze.

“The area is totally disfigured. We’re heartbroken, we’re exhausted,” he told Radio Classique.

French prime minister Elisabeth Borne and interior minister Gerald Darmanin will visit the area on Thursday, when temperatures are expected to hit 40C.

The authorities have warned that the scorching weather will last until Saturday, as France experiences its fourth heatwave of the year amid a historic drought.

More than 57,200 hectares have been affected by wildfires this year in France, almost six times the yearly average between 2006 and 2021, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

Around 20,000 hectares of forest were destroyed in the Gironde by fires last month, making it the worst affected region in the country.

Blazes have also broken out recently in the southern departments of Lozere and Aveyron, as well as the Maine et Loire region in the west of the country.

In July, French president Emmanuel Macron spoke of the rising prevalence of extreme weather events, caused by climate change. “Great fires are accelerating,” he said.

Other parts of Europe have also suffered large-scale wildfires this summer, with firefighters struggling to contain a blaze that has ripped through central Portugal.

Spain and Greece have also experienced multiple fires in recent weeks.