France wildfire battle intensifies in Gironde heat

France wildfire crews are racing to hold back the Gironde wildfires as fresh flare-ups break out under temperatures near 40C, turning the south-west region into an exhausting contest of speed, smoke and containment. The fire battle in Gironde has now drawn thousands of firefighters and volunteers, with officials urging people in threatened areas to leave even as some residents stay behind to protect their homes.

From the air, Canadair aircraft and helicopters have been central to the response. The planes flew in formation over thick smoke, dropping more than 1,000 gallons of water at a time, while helicopters followed with streams of fire retardant. Once the smoke thinned, firefighters moved on foot into the forest to work on the latest flare-up. The pattern has repeated again and again: knock one fire down, then rush to the next one before it spreads.

That cycle has made the Gironde wildfire battle feel less like a single fire and more like a moving frontline. Crews face a landscape of dry soil, pinecones and dead leaves that has helped the flames travel fast. As smoke drifted across empty roads and deserted villages west of Bordeaux, officers warned people to leave when conditions worsened. In one moment described on the ground, a flare-up was brought under control only for another to appear on the other side of the road.

Some residents have resisted evacuation orders. Pierre Alexandre said he refused to leave when police told him to go, even though the fire began in the woods beside his bungalow. He later showed a photo of himself sitting on his roof in the dark, though he said it was taken in the afternoon after he had told his wife and daughter to leave. His 19-year-old son stayed too, after Alexandre gave him the choice.