France battles fire 'whirlwinds' as another 55,000 evacuated
France is facing severe wildfires that have forced the evacuation of 55,000 people, with the Gironde region being particularly hard hit. The fires are described as erratic and unmanageable, prompting the mobilization of the military to assist firefighting efforts.
Why it matters
The scale of these fires, exacerbated by extreme weather conditions, highlights the growing threat of climate-driven environmental disasters in Europe.
Image source, Reuters By Hugh Schofield , France correspondent and Michael Sheils McNamee Published 9 minutes ago A further 55,000 people have been evacuated from six towns in France, as wildfires which have caused devastation across the country pick up pace.
The most recent evacuations took place in towns to the south of Bordeaux, in the Gironde region.
Wildfires have raged across Europe over the past week, primarily France and Spain, where more than 330,000 people have been evacuated.
France has been worst-affected, with an area of 42,000 hectares burnt, making it one of the largest forest fires since the second world war. About 98,000 hectares have burnt across the country since the start of the year.
Captain Nicolas Braz, one of the leaders of the firefighting operation, said the fire had created "its own winds - complete with whirlwinds", adding it was "erratic and unmanageable".
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