France says enormous wildfire that forced 220,000 people to flee has stopped growing

By — Mark Carlson, Associated Press Mark Carlson, Associated Press By — Emma Da Silva, Associated Press Emma Da Silva, Associated Press By — John Leicester, Associated Press John Leicester, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/france-says-enormous-wildfire-that-forced-220000-people-to-flee-has-stopped-growing Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter France says enormous wildfire that forced 220,000 people to flee has stopped growing World Jul 27, 2026 11:06 AM EDT LEGE-CAP FERRET, France (AP) — Fire crews and planes wrestled Monday to bring a monster wildfire under control in southwest France before a forecast jump in temperatures complicates the massive firefighting effort against a blaze that has burned an area four times the size of Paris. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the fire had stopped growing, a first glimmer of hope since the inferno forced a staggering 220,000 people to flee in the region around the city of Bordeaux. READ MORE: Firefighters race to control massive blazes approaching major cities in France and Spain But with woodlands still smoldering, the minister cautioned that the battle isn't yet won. "It hasn't progressed during the night," Nunez said. "We have to remain very concentrated, very determined, to go at any moment." He spoke after French President Emmanuel Macron held a crisis meeting Monday focused on the blaze in the Gironde region and wildfires that crews continue to tackle elsewhere. The Gironde prefecture said the situation overnight remained "globally stable" — a change from previous days when officials said flames had crept to within 15 kilometers (10 miles) of the outskirts of Bordeaux, a historic city of 268,000 people, and generated self-feeding firestorms with lightning bolts that ignited more blazes. No new evacuations were announced Monday. But with France about to enter its peak August tourist season, Gironde authorities worked to keep vacationers away, banning holiday camps for children and for people with disabilities. Nunez also urged people to avoid the region, popular for its Atlantic beaches and some of France's largest woodlands. In the adjacent southwestern Landes region, where hundreds of firefighters have been making progress against another virulent but smaller fire, the prefecture said some rain fell overnight and described the conditions as "favorable" for firefighting but also cautioned that they could change. Fire crews racing against feared next heat wave With thousands of firefighters on the ground and rotations of water- and retardant-dropping aircraft, it became a race against time before an expected heat wave that could make fighting flames more difficult. The national weather service forecast temperatures above 35 C (95 F) in the southwest on Tuesday and likely higher on Wednesday. Flames rise as firefighters battle wildfires amid drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortage