France says wildfire no longer growing, battle far from over

Macron holds crisis talks as wildfires force evacuations 

Lege-Cap-Ferret (France): France said its biggest wildfire has stopped growing after forcing about 2,20,000 people to flee in the country’s southwest, though officials warned the blaze was far from contained. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the fire made no overnight progress, while President Emmanuel Macron chaired a crisis meeting on the firefighting response. The Gironde blaze has burned an area four times the size of Paris.

Macron pledged long-term support for fire-hit communities. Thousands of firemen, supported by aircraft from around a dozen countries, are battling to contain the flames before another forecast heat wave from Tuesday. 

Spain is also battling record wildfires, with more than 76,000 people evacuated and 30,000 confined to homes. Authorities in both countries linked the scale of the fires to worsening climate change.

Spain’s state met agency Aemet warned another heat wave will begin on Wednes­day and last Sunday, with temperatures nearing or exceeding 40°C. The wildfire risk could reach “extreme levels”, hampering firefighting efforts.

We will rebuild, we will repair and we will be present for as long as necessary.

Emmanuel Macron