4,000 tourists evacuated from Lacanau amid Bordeaux wildfire

French authorities have ordered the evacuation of approximately 4,000 people from tourist sites around Lacanau on the Atlantic coast as a new heatwave threatens to destabilize a massive wildfire burning west of Bordeaux. The evacuation, covering campsites, holiday villages, and leisure parks in the Lacanau area, was ordered on July 28 as firefighters worked to consolidate fragile gains against a blaze that has already scorched 162 square miles in the Gironde region since it ignited on July 22.

Officials reported that the fire's perimeter remained unchanged following a calm night, but warned that smoldering vegetation and falling humidity could trigger fresh outbreaks. The Gironde prefecture stated that 93 firefighters have been injured during the operation. The blaze, described by officials as unprecedented and erratic, is burning between Marcheprime and Pierroton on the outskirts of the Bordeaux metropolitan area, coming within nine miles of the city. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said authorities are preparing for all eventualities and to accommodate a large number of people should further evacuations become necessary.

The situation is part of a broader crisis across...