Fires Threaten Bordeaux as 220,000 Evacuated

Firefighters continued to battle massive wildfires threatening the French city of Bordeaux on Sunday. Authorities have expanded evacuations to additional suburbs and have already moved approximately 220,000 people from the southwestern part of the country as a precautionary measure.

Local authorities reported that the fire spread exceptionally quickly overnight. The flames also reached the Cap Ferret area, a popular resort on the Atlantic coast in the Aquitaine region.

In addition to professional firefighting crews, local farmers have joined the effort, providing both equipment and manpower. According to one of them, this is an act of solidarity with the affected region.

Southwestern France is among the areas hardest hit by the heat wave that has plagued much of Europe in recent weeks. According to data from the Reuters Climate Monitor, the average maximum temperature in Aquitaine during July reached 32.2C, which is 7.3C higher than the long-term average from 1961 to 1990.

(Reuters, sab)