Wildfires continue to rage in south-western France this Thursday, with dozens of houses destroyed, over 6,800 hectares of land scortched, forcing the evacuation of at least 10,000 people. Firefighters from across Europe have come to France's assistance as the massive blaze in the wine-growing Gironde region continues to burn out of control for a third day.
UPDATE 11H30 UT:
Firefighters from across Europe have arrived in France to battle a "monster" wildfire raging for a third day near the wine-growing heartland of Bordeaux.
More than 1,000 firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft are trying to contain the blaze in the southwestern Gironde region that has forced thousands of people from their homes.
French President Emmanuel Macron said European countries were coming to France's rescue.
Two Greek tanker planes have arrived alongside two Swedish airtractors, 64 firefighters from Germany, 146 from Poland and more from Austria and Romania.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin visited the scorched region today.
A revised estimate of 57,200 hectares have been destroyed by fire in France since June.
EN DIRECT | Alors que plusieurs régions sont confrontées à des incendies violents, la Première ministre @Elisabeth_Borne salue depuis la Gironde, particulièrement touchée, l’engagement de l’ensemble des forces mobilisées. https://t.co/mixNF0hHN1
— Gouvernement (@gouvernementFR) August 11, 2022
UPDATE 06h30 UT:
France is continuing to battle a "monster" wildfire in the south western Landiras region near the winegrowing heartland of Bordeaux.
According to Gregory Allione from the French firefighters body FNSPF "I would qualify the fire in Landiras as a mega-fire."
"It's an ogre, it's a monster," he added.
Wildfires have torn through the Gironde region near Bordeaux in southwestern France this week, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of at least 10,000 residents, some of whom had clambered onto rooftops as the flames got closer.
"Je qualifie le feu de Landiras comme étant un méga feu." #RTLMatin https://t.co/DSatQSeAuP
— RTL France (@RTLFrance) August 11, 2022
France, like the rest of Europe, is coping with a series of rolling heatwaves and an ongoing drought that has triggered multiple wildfires across the continent in recent months.
Authorities in the wine-growing Gironde department said in a statement: "The fire is rampant and has now spread to the Landes department," adding that 500 firefighters were mobilised.
The Gironde was hit by two wildfires in July that destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of forest and led to the evacuation of almost 40,000 people.
Fires were also raging on Tuesday in other parts of the country, including the southern departments of Lozère and Aveyron, where close to 700 hectares have already burnt and where Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin is due to visit later in the day.
🔥 En Gironde, l'incendie qui circule entre Saint-Magne et Hostens est hors de contrôle ce mardi soir. La nuit s'annonce très difficile et des évacuations sont en cours. (© Johanna SG) pic.twitter.com/oZGul9FsQi
— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) August 9, 2022
Third extreme weather event in two months
Another fire is spreading in the Maine et Loire department in western France, where 650 hectares have been scorched and 500 are threatened, according to local authorities.
France is experiencing an "historic" drought exacerbated by a third extreme heatwave this summer with water restrictions ordered in nearly all its 96 mainland departments.
More than 47,000 hectares have already burnt in France this year, including a record amount in July alone, according to the European Union's satellite monitoring service EFFIS.
'Double jet stream' phenomenon
Meteorologists say the recent heat waves are the result of a specific meteorological event, called a "double jet stream", which favours rising temperatures.
Scientists say that France is caught in a so-called "heat dome" between two corridors of the powerful jet stream winds to the north and south, which trap warm air over Western Europe.
Due to climate change, this extreme weather phenomenon is expected to expose western Europe to high temperatures in the years to come.
