"Will Take Long Time To Control": Over 2 Lakh Evacuated Due To France Forest Fire
Over 220,000 people have been evacuated in southwest France as massive forest fires continue to burn out of control. The fires have forced the closure of major highways and rail lines, with officials warning that containment will take a significant amount of time.
Why it matters
It illustrates the severe impact of climate-driven extreme weather events on infrastructure and public safety in Europe.
French authorities said Sunday that more than 220,000 people have now been evacuated from the main forest fire raging in the southwest of the country that has also forced the closure of highways and rail lines.More than 50,000 additional people have been ordered to leave villages around Bordeaux, which is now under threat from the flames, bringing the total evacuated from this single fire above 220,000. Tens of thousands more have been evacuated from other wildfires in France and central Spain.A firefighter works to extinguish flames during a wildfire in Lege-Cap-Ferret in the Gironde department amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 23Photo Credit: ReutersBecause of the spread of the flames in high winds, 60 kilometers (37 miles) of the main A63 highway from Bordeaux to the Spanish border has been closed because of the fires, regional authorities said.
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