Firefighters in France hold back vast wildfire as heat returns to test their grip
Firefighters kept a vast wildfire in southwest France in check overnight into Tuesday (July 28, 2026), bringing flare-ups near Atlantic coast dunes under control in
Firefighters kept a vast wildfire in southwest France in check overnight into Tuesday (July 28, 2026), bringing flare-ups near Atlantic coast dunes under control in a crucial reprieve before returning heat and falling humidity threaten to test their hold on the blaze. The fire remained stabilised at 6 a.m. after a calm night and the burned area was unchanged at 420 sq. kilometres, the Gironde prefecture said. The emergency now stretches across southwestern Europe. Fires in France have forced roughly 3,30,000 people to evacuate, while Spain entered its fourth heat wave of the summer on Tuesday (July 28, 2026) with several blazes still out of control, including the largest ever recorded in the country. In France, several flare-ups were detected overnight north of Le Porge and in dunes north of Cap Ferret but were brought under control by firefighters, authorities said. “We are at a point of fragility,” Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for France's national firefighters federation, told BFMTV on Tuesday (July 28, 2026). “We will continue attacking this fire despite the forecast rise in temperatures.” The areas lie along the Atlantic coast west of Bordeaux, where crews have battled the blaze since it erupted near Saumos last week. The overnight calm did not mean the danger had passed. The fire remained stabilised rather than fixed, meaning it could still spread again. The blaze, raging since last week, has been wildly unpredictable, transforming at times into a self-feeding firestorm as it burned through an area four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people to evacuate homes and vacation accommodation.
Even after 24 hours without further advance, officials warned that smouldering vegetation, rising temperatures and falling humidity could produce fresh outbreaks along the vast perimeter. Firefighters and military engineers resumed work early Tuesday (July 28, 2026) on tactical firebreaks designed to prevent the flames from spreading. Authorities said 103 Km of firebreaks had been completed. Ninety-three firefighters have been injured while battling the blaze, the prefecture said. The A63 highway remained partly closed, while rail traffic south of Bordeaux was suspended except on the route toward Toulouse. Thousands return as progress is made on second fire The overnight holding action in Gironde contrasted with a clearer sign of progress in neighbouring Landes, where thousands of evacuees were allowed home after a separate wildfire was fixed. The fire had displaced more than 30,000 residents and vacationers. “The fire is fixed, which is good news in the Landes,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday (July 28, 2026) evening. Regional authorities said that meant its advance had been stopped and no new fires were breaking out. About 15,000 people were authorised to return home on Monday (July 27, 2026) night in Sanguinet, Parentis-en-Born and some parts of Biscarrosse. Residents of Biscarrosse's aviation village and a large campground were among those allowed back, although several other neighbourhoods remained inaccessible. The return marked a significant step for communities that emptied as flames swept through forests and tourist areas during the height of the summer vacation season.
The BriefWire