Gironde wildfire: Number of injured firefighters rises to 126

The number of firefighters injured battling the Gironde wildfires has risen to 126, according to local authorities. The latest figure marks an increase of 16 injured firefighters compared with the previous day.

Gironde wildfire “has not progressed”, officials say, raising hopes of return to “normal”

The massive wildfire that has ravaged 42,000 hectares in France’s Gironde region “has not progressed” despite intense heat that had raised fears of “a high-risk day”, the prefect said on Wednesday, adding that if calmer conditions continue, authorities could begin to “envisage” a return to “normal” for residents.

“We recorded seven fairly significant flare-ups during the day. Three are still active, but they remain within the areas already affected by the fire,” Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said.

If the night remains calm and cooler temperatures forecast for Thursday materialise, “we can reasonably be more optimistic” about the coming days and “envisage a return to a more normal life” for residents, particularly the more than 200,000 people evacuated, she added.

Wildfire flares up again in France’s Fontainebleau forest

Around 50 firefighters battled a significant flare-up in France’s Fontainebleau forest on Wednesday after a new blaze broke out on the edge of an area where a major wildfire had previously been brought under control.

The fire had burned around seven hectares by Wednesday evening, prompting the deployment of 17 fire engines, reinforcements from neighbouring departments and assistance from local farmers to supply water. Authorities said no evacuations were planned.

Officials said the blaze may have been caused by the reactivation of underground hotspots, fuelled by high temperatures and strong winds. The earlier wildfire, which was declared contained on July 14, scorched more than 2,000 hectares of the Fontainebleau and Trois-Pignons forests.

The forestry agency warned that numerous hotspots and underground smouldering remain, while firefighters from the neighbouring Yvelines department were sent to reinforce crews on the ground.

Wildfire investigations: 263 arrests since June 28 , including 92 minors

French authorities have arrested 263 people, including 92 minors, since June 28 as part of investigations into wildfire outbreaks, the government said on Wednesday. According to officials, around two-thirds of the arrests relate to suspected deliberate, criminal fire-setting, while the remaining third involve accidental fires.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said security forces were fully mobilised to identify and prosecute those responsible. The figures were released as France’s historic Gironde wildfire flared up again in scorching temperatures, with officials hoping cooler weather forecast for Thursday will help firefighters contain the country’s largest forest fire since 1949.

Hundreds evacuated as new wildfire breaks out in southeast France

A new wildfire broke out near the town of Brignoles in southeastern France on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of between 600 and 700 people less than 24 hours after authorities brought a major nearby blaze under control.

The fire had burned around 100 hectares of vegetation by Wednesday evening, prompting the evacuation of several neighbourhoods, according to local authorities.

Around 250 firefighters, supported by three Canadair aircraft, two Dash planes and seven helicopters, were deployed to tackle the blaze as the Var department endured scorching temperatures. About 120 evacuees were taken to an emergency shelter in Brignoles.

Spain allows return of fire evacuees to two more towns near Madrid

Residents of the last two towns near Madrid evacuated because of a massive wildfire were allowed to return home late Wednesday, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The evacuation order imposed on Valdemaqueda and Robledo de Chavela had been lifted “immediately”, it said without elaborating.

Cooler weather offers hope as Gironde wildfire flares up again

A sharp drop in temperatures expected on Thursday is offering firefighters hope in the battle against France’s largest wildfire in decades, after scorching heat and strong winds reignited hotspots across the 42,000 hectares already burned in Gironde on Wednesday.

Authorities said cooler Atlantic air should ease conditions in Gironde and neighbouring Landes after both departments spent the day under orange heatwave alert.

Despite the expected respite, firefighters, backed by volunteers, aircraft and local farmers, continued battling flare-ups near the seaside town of Lanton.

The wildfire has injured 126 firefighters and forced the evacuation of 222,000 people, although 57,000 residents have now been allowed to return home. Officials warned the blaze could continue to smoulder underground for months as a so-called “zombie fire”, while major transport disruption and poor air quality persist across the region.

Public executions in Iran spark anti-regime protests

The Islamic Republic publicly executed two Iranian protesters in Isfahan at dawn on July 28. Several hundred people gathered near a stage set up in the city’s Alikhani Square, but instead of cheering the execution, they chanted slogans against the police, prompting anti-riot units to disperse the crowd.

Firefighter’s smart glasses capture frontline battle against Gironde wildfire

Footage filmed through a firefighter’s smart glasses shows crews battling a wildfire in the village of Le Las, in France’s Gironde department, on July 27, 2026.

Wildfires rage near Turkey’s tourist beaches

Turkish firefighters on Wednesday battled wildfires near the country’s southern tourist beaches that have forced the evacuation of hundreds of people, authorities said. Hundreds of firefighters went up against the biggest fire in Mugla province, with more than 20 planes and helicopters bombing water on the flames, the agriculture ministry said.

Media reports said the main highway from the tourist city of Antalya to the beach resort of Fethiye had been closed because of the smoke. NTV television said that access to the ancient ruins at Olympos in Antalya province had been closed.

In Mugla province, the wildfire started on agricultural land and spread to a forest, the provincial governor’s office said. It added that 202 residents and some patients from a hospital had been evacuated. Another major fire burned in the Balikesir region on the Aegean coast along the road connecting Izmir, the country’s third-largest city, to the Dardanelles region.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late Wednesday that some 90 fires had broken out on Wednesday in the country, with 81 brought under control.

From deer to hedgehogs: Wildfires devastate France’s wildlife

As wildfires continue to tear through southwest France, thousands of wild animals are paying the price. Unable to outrun the flames or left without food and water, many have perished while others are being rescued by firefighters and volunteers.

French govt seeks to fast-track climate adaptation measures

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has instructed Ecology Minister Monique Barbut to draw up new measures to speed up the implementation of France’s national climate adaptation plan, citing the growing threat posed by recurring wildfires and heatwaves.

In a letter seen by AFP, Lecornu said France must accelerate preparations for harsher climate conditions and asked for concrete proposals by early October.

The measures are intended to fast-track the country’s third National Climate Adaptation Plan, published in 2025 to prepare France for up to 4°C of warming by the end of the century. They will cover areas including buildings, agriculture, transport, water management and education, with proposals such as adapting school and university calendars – including the timing of exams – to increasingly frequent periods of extreme heat.

Three firefighters die battling blazes in Greece

Three firefighters died battling forest blazes in Greece on Wednesday as several other fires broke out around the country, fed by gale-force winds.

The fire department said two firefighters had died on the island of Crete “during an operation to contain a rural forest fire”.

A third firefighter was found unconscious near the Peloponnese port of Gytheio, a fire department spokesman told AFP, with media reports saying he had died of pathological causes.

Satirical ‘Iran War Participation Trophy’ mocking Trump on display in New York

People take pictures of the “Iran War Participation Trophy” at Foley Square on July 29, 2026 in New York City. A 10 toot tall satirical trophy monument adorned with fake participation trophies, ribbons and certificates mocking US President Donald Trump was installed by an anonymous art collective called the Secret Handshake. The monument was previously installed in the National Mall. @Michael M. Santiago, Getty Images, AFP

SNCF extends train cancellations as wildfires rage in southwest France

State-owned railway operator SNCF said on Wednesday that high-speed train services south of Bordeaux would remain suspended on Thursday as wildfires rage across southwest France.

Most TGV trains departing Paris will terminate in Bordeaux, with the exception of services to Toulouse, while trains linking Bordeaux with Arcachon, Hendaye and Tarbes via Dax have been cancelled.

The overnight Paris-Tarbes service will also not run, although two return services between Paris and Tarbes via Toulouse will operate to partly offset the disruption.

No regional TER trains will run in the area between Arcachon, Bordeaux and Morcenx in the Landes region. SNCF is advising passengers to postpone train journeys to the affected areas until Friday, July 31, inclusive.

‘Rethink the forest’ amid unprecedented wildfires: Return to ‘ancestral ways of managing the land’?

FRANCE 24 speaks to Jean-Luc Gleyze, President of the Departmental Council of Gironde, and Stéphane Delpeyrat-Vincent, a former firefighter and founder of WARUCENE, a research firm specialising in wildfire prevention.

The wildfires in Gironde highlight the growing challenges of managing land in a warming world. Speaking from the front line of the emergency response, Gleyze sees the fires as a test of social solidarity, institutional coordination and public resilience. Delpeyrat-Vincent, meanwhile, argues that increasingly destructive wildfires are not simply emergencies to be fought, but symptoms of a deeper structural failure: landscapes still being managed for a climate that no longer exists.

Together, their analysis suggests that the challenge is no longer simply to improve firefighting capacity, but to rethink how forests, communities and urban areas are planned and managed in an era of accelerating climate change.

Cats, dogs and horses: Rescuing the pets caught in France’s wildfires

Wildfires raging through southwestern France have forced thousands to evacuate their homes in the fire-ravaged department of Gironde. Many of the evacuees were forced to leave their pets behind amid the ensuing chaos.

Our special correspondent in Gironde reports on the volunteers dedicated to rescuing the four-legged victims of the catastrophic wildfires.

Wildfires near Bordeaux bring more troubles to France’s wine industry

Wildfires sweeping through France’s Gironde region are threatening to deepen economic pressures on Bordeaux, where businesses are already struggling with rising costs and falling demand. The fires have forced 220,000 people from their homes and emptied some tourist hotspots, raising fears of a major blow to the region’s vital tourism industry.

Winemakers are particularly concerned, as Bordeaux’s wine sector has already been hit by declining consumption, increased overseas competition, inflation and US tariffs. For many estates, wine tourism had been one of the few areas still showing growth.

The wider economic impact is also being felt across the region, with the chamber of commerce estimating that 39,000 businesses have been affected. Rising energy costs were already squeezing profits, while business liquidations in Bordeaux and Libourne rose 37% year-on-year, according to the chamber.

Local officials are urging tourists not to abandon Bordeaux, stressing that the city itself remains open, with museums, cafés and restaurants operating as usual. But business leaders warn that the fires could leave a lasting mark on the region’s reputation and economy.

‘Zombie fires’: Fire crews battle wildfires smouldering underground

A firefighter clears the ground while battling a so-called “zombie fire”, a wildfire that can smoulder underground for extended periods, amid drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, in Les Andrauts, Gironde department, France, July 29, 2026. @Florion Goga, Reuters

A firefighter reacts while battling a so-called “zombie fire”, a wildfire that can smoulder underground for extended periods, amid drought conditions, a heatwave alert, and water shortages across much of France, in Les Andrauts, Gironde department, France, July 29, 2026. @Florion Goga, Reuters

France issues heatwave alert for 23 departments as wildfires rage

Twenty-three French departments, including the wildfire-hit Landes and Gironde regions, will be placed on orange heatwave alert on Thursday, national weather service Météo-France said on Wednesday.

Météo-France warned of an intense peak in temperatures in Landes and Gironde, where the situation remains particularly difficult and requires close vigilance.

The new orange-alert areas include the southeastern Mediterranean region, stretching from Alpes-Maritimes to Corsica, while 69 other departments will be on yellow alert. Only four departments, in Brittany and the Manche region, will remain on green alert.