Bordeaux wildfire prompts Macron crisis meeting as flames near city
Macron called ministers together as crews worked to keep fires 15km from Bordeaux from reaching the metropolitan area.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
The Bordeaux wildfire has led President Emmanuel Macron to call a crisis meeting of the French cabinet as crews try to keep flames from reaching the historic city, Al Jazeera, Reuters and The Associated Press reported. The Monday meeting is aimed at coordinating France’s response in the southwest, where officials are also watching forecasts for another heatwave later this week.
Firefighters worked through the night against the blaze in Gironde, the wine-growing region that includes Bordeaux. The provincial authority said the situation remained “broadly stable,” according to Al Jazeera, Reuters and AP.
How close is the wildfire to Bordeaux?
At the nearest point reported, the fire was 15km, or 9 miles, from metropolitan Bordeaux. The Bordeaux metropolitan area is home to about 850,000 people.
Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said Sunday that the fire “is still at the gates of the metropolitan area.” Jerome Steffe, mayor of nearby Cestas, described it as “a fire of a size never seen before,” according to the agencies.
Images from the affected areas showed heavy smoke blocking the sky and stretches of forest on fire, Al Jazeera reported. Firefighters were also battling flames in Saint-Jean-d'Illac, about 30km from Bordeaux, according to the caption information credited to AFP.
Why are the fires spreading across Europe?
The fires are burning during a summer of record-breaking heat across Europe. Scientists have warned that extreme heat is drying out the continent, and Al Jazeera, Reuters and AP reported that Europe has already had three heatwaves this summer that have helped fuel wildfires.
Several countries have set new temperature records, according to the agencies. The forecast for another heatwave in France later in the week has increased pressure on officials to contain the fires before conditions worsen.
The disruption extends beyond France. Wildfires in France and Spain have forced more than 300,000 people from their homes, according to Al Jazeera, Reuters and AP.
In Spain, more than 75,000 people have been evacuated. Some of the most serious fires are moving closer to Madrid, although the regional government said Monday that they had “slowed their advance.”
Authorities in Spain said they would begin allowing some evacuees from Madrid to return home. Rocio Dominguez, 35, who fled Chapineria west of Madrid with her two dogs, described the scene to the agencies: “It looked like the apocalypse. You couldn’t see anything. Everything was covered in ash.”
French officials have not reported that the flames reached Bordeaux. As of the latest accounts cited by Al Jazeera, Reuters and AP, crews were still working to hold the line outside the metropolitan area while national leaders prepared to coordinate the response from Paris.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.