France wildfires force 250,000 evacuations as Gironde blaze nears Bordeaux

A major wildfire in southwest France forced 55,000 more people to leave overnight Sunday, taking the number evacuated in the Gironde region alone to 220,000, as flames moved closer to Bordeaux. Another fire in the neighbouring Landes region has pushed the total number evacuated in southwest France to more than 250,000.

Spain also ordered fresh evacuations on its east coast as wildfires continued in the Valencia region. Uncontrolled fires there and west of Madrid have forced 116,000 people from their homes this week. One man died in Manises, a suburb of Valencia, marking Spain's first recorded death in the latest fires, while 13 people were killed earlier this month in southern Spain in the country's deadliest blaze in recent memory.

Authorities in Gironde issued overnight evacuation orders for five more localities southwest of Bordeaux as shifting, gusty winds and dry conditions made it harder to contain the fire. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that after a "difficult" night for fire crews, "the situation remains very unfavourable". In a post on X, he said, "The fire again became extremely virulent again and unpredictable, generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area." He added, "It became calmer by the end of the night."