Firefighters in southwest France successfully prevented a massive wildfire from advancing overnight on Tuesday, following a calm night that allowed crews to extinguish several flare-ups. According to the Gironde prefecture, the blaze remained stabilized as of 6 a.m., with the total burned area holding steady at 420 square kilometers, or approximately 162 square miles.
While the fire, which has been burning since last week near Saumos, has been halted, authorities are maintaining a state of high alert. Although its advance has been halted, officials have repeatedly cautioned that smoldering vegetation and falling humidity could trigger fresh outbreaks as returning heat and drier air conditions threaten to test the current containment lines. Overnight, crews were forced to address flare-ups in dune land north of Cap Ferret and areas north of Le Porge, both situated along the Atlantic coast west of Bordeaux.
The operation has been grueling, with ninety-three firefighters injured during the operation, the prefecture said. To prevent further spread, military engineers and firefighters have worked to construct 103 kilometers, or 64 miles, of tactical firebreaks. The fire, which at its peak acted as a self-feeding firestorm, had previously forced the evacuation of 220,000 residents and burned an area four times the size of Paris.
Infrastructure remains affected by the emergency, with a section of the A63 highway closed and rail traffic south of Bordeaux largely suspended, except for routes heading toward Toulouse. Meanwhile, in the neighboring Landes region, thousands of residents and vacationers have begun returning to their homes. President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Monday evening that the separate wildfire in the Landes region has been successfully contained.
