Evacuation Orders Lifted as Bordeaux Wildfire Stabilizes

Residents in south-west France are beginning to return home after authorities eased evacuation orders following devastating wildfires near Bordeaux. On Friday, evacuation orders were lifted in 12 municipalities west and south-west of the city, allowing about 144,000 of the more than 220,000 evacuees to return home.

Sophie Brocas, prefect of the Gironde department, said the fire was under control after burning for more than a week. Cooler nighttime temperatures and higher humidity helped firefighters stabilize the blaze.

The wildfire burned about 42,000ha of pine forest in the Gironde department and damaged several hundred homes. The A63 motorway linking Bordeaux with the Spanish border is set to reopen, although access to the popular Cap Ferret peninsula remains restricted.

France is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record, with the area burned already exceeding the previous record set in 2022. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said about 308 people suspected of starting fires, either deliberately or through negligence, had been detained since the start of the year.

(Reuters, est)