Gironde wildfire: heatwave brings renewed risk following 'calm' night
The massive wildfire in Gironde has held its perimeter for a third consecutive night, but authorities warn that Wednesday's arrival of extreme heat could reignite the blaze that has already consumed 42,000 hectares of forest.
The fire has remained within the same boundaries since Sunday evening, the Gironde prefecture confirmed Wednesday morning. Several small fires that erupted overnight within the perimeter were quickly extinguished by firefighters, though authorities have not yet declared the blaze under control as new hotspots continue to emerge.
The timing is critical. France's fourth heatwave of the summer arrived Wednesday, centring on the south-west where temperatures could reach 40C. State forecaster Météo France placed 16 departments, including Gironde and Landes, under level-three orange alert for heatwave conditions as of 08:00.
The 'rule of three' returns
Compounding the heat, dropping air humidity and winds gusting to 45km/h mean the region faces the dreaded 'rule of three': when temperatures exceed 30C, wind speeds surpass 30km/h, and air humidity falls below 30%, conditions become ideal for fires to start and spread rapidly.
The Gironde fire forms part of an unprecedented wildfire season across France. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that 115,000 hectares have burned nationwide since the start of 2026, described as
far more than anything we have seen in the past. Authorities estimate around 90% of forest fires in France originate from human activity.
The scale of the crisis has tested France's firefighting resources. The country currently operates only 12 Canadair aerial water bombers, and no new aircraft will arrive until at least 2028 following a nine-year production gap. This limitation has forced authorities to deploy innovative alternatives, including the A400M military transport aircraft with firefighting capability, used operationally for the first time during this fire.
At least 126 firefighters have been injured tackling the blaze. Police have made 15 arrests in connection with the incident. Investigations suggest the fire originated during undergrowth clearance work at a site managed by electricity grid operator Enedis, though there is currently no evidence that safety protocols were violated.
Such clearance work is mandated by law in 52 mainland French departments under regulations requiring homeowners and companies to clear undergrowth for at least 50-100 metres around buildings by July 1 each year. However, compliance remains a challenge: in the Var department last year, authorities inspected 2,000 properties and found 1,500 had not adequately cleared undergrowth, with 400 homeowners fined €200 each for severe cases.
Mass evacuations continue
Hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists remain displaced following mass evacuations over the weekend. An additional 4,000 people were evacuated Tuesday from the coastal commune of Lacanau. Multiple restrictions on tourist activities, holidays, and public gatherings remain in force across Gironde.
Rail services continue to face disruptions, with most local TER trains and high-speed TGV services terminating at Bordeaux rather than continuing south, though some trains proceed to Toulouse.
In a significant safety measure, authorities removed dangerous and flammable materials from Seveso sites in the area – industrial facilities classified as potentially hazardous based on the quantities and types of hazardous materials they handle. France has over 1,300 such sites, named after a devastating 1976 chemical accident in Seveso, Italy. Other vulnerable sites have received additional protections including earthworks to prevent fire spread.
Wider context: fires across France
Beyond Gironde, firefighters have made progress elsewhere. A fire in the Var department that burned 4,800 hectares and forced 5,000 evacuations was declared contained after more than a week of effort by over 1,000 firefighters. The blaze near Pontevès had reignited once before being brought under control. Police arrested a 23-year-old man suspected of starting several smaller fires across the Var between July 19 and 24.
A fire in Landes was also declared under control earlier this week, though around half of the 30,000 people evacuated from Biscarrosse have not yet been cleared to return home. Fires continue to burn in the Pyrénées, Alps, and Corsica.
The severity of France's fire season mirrors conditions across Europe, where 254,388 hectares have burned as of July 2026 according to the European Forest Fires Information System – above the 20-year average and approaching the 270,449 hectares burned during the same period in 2025, the worst year on record.
Wednesday's heatwave has placed 65 French departments on heightened fire risk alert, though forecasters expect this number to drop to 19 by Thursday. For now, all eyes remain on Gironde, where the current 42,000-hectare fire already exceeds the scale of the region's 2022 fires that burned 30,000 hectares and served as a national wake-up call about escalating fire risk.
