Wildfire spreads near popular French tourist town as thousands are evacuated
A rapidly spreading wildfire in the Gironde department has necessitated the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from coastal towns and resorts.
As of Thursday, 23 July 2026, emergency crews are battling a significant wildfire in the Gironde department of southwestern France. The blaze, which originated in the village of Saumos on Wednesday morning, has prompted the emergency evacuation of approximately 20,000 people from various towns and vacation resorts along the Atlantic coast. Local authorities, including the prefect of the Gironde region, Sophie Brocas, have confirmed that the fire spread across more than 31 square kilometres.
The fire progressed rapidly throughout Wednesday, growing from an estimated 800 hectares by Wednesday evening to roughly 2,000 hectares by Thursday morning. The proximity of the flames—at one point coming within 300 metres of the first homes in Lège-Cap Ferret—necessitated an extensive aerial and ground response. The prefecture has deployed 700 firefighters to the scene, including support units brought in from the Paris region, alongside four firefighting aircraft and 150 emergency vehicles.
Media additions
The evacuation efforts began on Wednesday afternoon under orders from the Gironde prefect. Authorities cleared the La Grigne campsite, affecting approximately 3,500 holidaymakers who were directed to the nearby resort town of Lacanau. A beach in Le Porge, where roughly 600 vehicles were parked, was also cleared as a precautionary measure. In addition to tourists, the evacuation included more than 1,000 residents living in residential zones along the forest edge, as well as the village of Claouey. While the prefecture reported that 8,800 people were moved specifically during the Claouey operation, the total number of individuals evacuated across the region has been reported as exceeding 10,000, with some French media outlets estimating the figure to be closer to 12,000. Municipalities have established reception and respite centres to provide shelter for those displaced.
Despite the scale of the destruction, no injuries have been reported. As of Thursday, the prefecture noted that the fire had not yet been brought under control but remained contained to the north of Lège. Officials have described conditions on the ground as "very rough," citing strong winds and high temperatures that threaten to reignite hotspots. To mitigate the risk of further ignitions, authorities have banned the use of internal combustion and electric engines in predominantly forested areas of the region and closed several local roads.
This incident is part of a wider trend of environmental strain across France this year. According to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, there have been more than 12,500 wildfires across the country since the start of 2026, resulting in nearly 44,000 hectares of burned land. The region is currently experiencing the effects of a series of heat waves that began before the summer, leaving vegetation in a state of severe water stress.
The situation in France mirrors broader instability across Southern Europe. In Italy, a firefighter named Alessandro Marchì died while battling a blaze in San Cataldo, Sicily, leading Italian President Sergio Mattarella to issue a note of condolences to the family and colleagues of the deceased department head. Meanwhile, Spain is managing multiple large-scale fires, including a week-old blaze in the Guadalajara region that has consumed 320 square kilometres. In central Spain, a fire near Toledo has resulted in the destruction of approximately 20 homes and prompted further mass evacuations, while a separate fire near Madrid caused the temporary suspension of high-speed rail services between the capital and Barcelona on Thursday.
Scientists have linked the increasing frequency and intensity of these events to climate change, noting that weather conditions in Europe have resulted in significantly more land burned so far in 2026 compared to the 20-year average. As fire crews continue their containment efforts in Gironde, no timeline has been provided by local officials regarding when residents or holidaymakers will be permitted to return to the evacuated zones.
