France Wildfires Force 12,000 Out

France wildfires have forced about 12,000 people out of the south-west of the country as a large blaze spread through the Gironde region and pushed officials to move thousands more. Authorities said the fire has already burned around 3,400 hectares near the Bay of Arcachon, while about 700 firefighters worked to hold the line.

Local officials said many of those evacuated overnight were visitors staying at campsites on the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula. Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said roughly 10,000 visitors were among those moved from campsites and said the latest evacuations in the village of Claouey were proceeding calmly. No injuries had been reported, but some roads and sites in exposed forest areas were closed as a precaution.

The France wildfires have put local emergency crews under intense pressure. Gironde fire service chief Marc Vermeulen said work continued through the night and warned that higher temperatures and stronger winds would make the blaze harder to forecast. He said conditions were expected to worsen later in the day, with shifting winds making it difficult for crews to relax their guard.

For residents, the fire has already changed daily life in a matter of hours. Yassmina de Freitas, 19, who lives in Le Porge, said she first noticed smoke and the smell of burning around lunchtime on Wednesday. By the afternoon, ash and half-burned bark were falling from the sky, and the smoke had grown thicker. Her family was later evacuated by law enforcement and taken to a gymnasium in a nearby town, leaving two cats and four chickens behind because they could not be found in time.