The great fire that threatens Bordeaux could last "weeks or months"

BarcelonaThe night has brought a slight respite to firefighters in southern France who are racing against time to put out the fire threatening Bordeaux. The Gironde fire, which is already the worst recorded in the country in the last fifty years, has remained "globally stable" overnight. Although it is still out of control, firefighters have managed to stabilize it and are working to try to control it. However, its extinction seems a distant goal: the fire "will last several weeks or even several months"; assured Lieutenant Colonel David Annotel, representative of the National Federation of French Firefighters, who warned of the need to plan for the relief of personnel.

The flames – which have scorched at least 42,000 hectares – remain 15 kilometers from the Bordeaux metropolitan area, a conurbation of over 700,000 inhabitants. For now, however, authorities insist that there is no need to evacuate the city. "The evacuation of Bordeaux is not on the agenda," said government spokeswoman Maud Bregon this morning. Instead, 220,000 people from 23 municipalities in the region remain evacuated, the vast majority of whom are temporarily housed in Bordeaux.

The fire had advanced in recent days "unpredictably" and "rapidly" due to strong winds and the high volume of dry vegetation, creating a very complicated situation for emergency services. More than 2,500 firefighters, 1,500 soldiers, and 1,200 police officers and gendarmes, along with 450 volunteers, are working to extinguish the flames in the Gironde region. Although this night has been quieter, the spokesperson for the French fire service, Eric Brocardi, stated that a "race against time" has begun in the fight against fires in France, before a new heatwave begins in the country on Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron has chaired a crisis cabinet to assess the fire situation, and is expected to travel to Gironde this afternoon to meet with "the forces" fighting the fire. Finance Minister Roland Lescure has compared the effects the fires will have on the region's economy to a "thunderclap".

Meanwhile, the European Union is intensifying efforts to combat the fire in Gironde, sending two more planes, which will join the nine planes and two helicopters already there since Tuesday, as European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib told Agence France-Presse. Germany has also sent air support to France to help it combat the fire, according to a Defense statement. Specifically, the army has sent two CH-53 transport helicopters, equipment, and material, which have been transported by an A400M plane to the French military base of Cazaux and will contribute to fighting the flames for at least the next five days.

An "unprecedented" season"

2026 has been the most devastating year for fires in France: in total, 13,566 fires or fire outbreaks have occurred since the beginning of summer, burning 116,085 hectares, as reported by the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez. He described the season as "completely unprecedented and exceptional," especially because it began earlier than usual. The leader also maintains that the country faces between 30 and 40 fires simultaneously every day.

At present, the one in the Var region – on the eastern coast – has burned 4,500 hectares and continues to require the mobilization of a thousand firefighters. The one in Landes, which began only 40 kilometers from Gironde, has calmed down during the night, although it has already burned 3,600 hectares.