Some 40,000 people evacuated due to wildfire in southwest France: minister / Photo: Olivier MORIN - AFP
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Some 40,000 people evacuated due to wildfire in southwest France: minister
Some 40,000 people have been evacuated from a popular tourist destination in southwest France due to a wildfire that has already ravaged more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres), Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told AFP.
Hundreds of firefighters have for the past few days been fighting the flames dozens of kilometres west of Bordeaux.
The wildfire broke out in the village of Saumos on Wednesday and has since spread to the Cap-Ferret peninsula, a popular tourist destination long favoured by French stars known for its pine forests, sand dunes and oyster shacks.
"As I speak, gradually, 40,000 people have either been evacuated or are currently being evacuated," Nunez said.
He called the blaze "the largest fire of the season" and stressed that there have been no reported casualties so far.
"A total of 80 homes have burnt, around 50 of which have been completely destroyed," he added.
He said the fire was not yet under control and that 1,000 firefighters were currently deployed.
Boats have ferried more than 400 people so far from the peninsula that stretches along France's Atlantic coast west of Bordeaux, officials said.
"The situation remains extremely tense," President Emmanuel Macron said on X.
He said France had invoked the European Union's civil protection mechanism and will be receiving reinforcements, including two Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
M.O.Allen--AT
