Wildfire in southwestern France swells to 4,800 hectares, 20,000 evacuated as flames threaten Lège-Cap-Ferret

Fire's rapid spread

The fire ignited on Wednesday evening, July 22, near the village of Saumos in the Gironde department, a popular tourist region of pine forests and campsites around the Arcachon basin. Within hours it had torn through dry pine stands, with flames reaching several dozen meters high. By Thursday morning, the burned area had reached approximately 2,000 hectares, and by midday it exceeded 2,400 hectares. The latest reports on Thursday evening put the total at 4,800 hectares, an area larger than Gibraltar. Fire captain Wilfried Schneider described the blaze as "a fire of rare violence."

It is a fire of rare violence.

Mass evacuations along the coast

Authorities ordered preventive evacuations on Wednesday evening, initially moving nearly 5,000 people from homes and campsites. On Thursday morning, an additional 7,000 were told to leave, bringing the initial total to about 12,000. Later in the day, 8,000 tourists were evacuated from a single campsite, pushing the overall number of evacuees to around 20,000. The fire is advancing toward Lège-Cap-Ferret, a peninsula town of 8,000 year-round residents that swells with tens of thousands of summer visitors. Marc Vermeulen, commander of the Gironde fire and rescue services, said firefighters are defending every house there. Mayor Philippe de Gonneville called the situation worrying, with temperatures above 30°C and a fairly strong wind.

Firefighting under difficult conditions

Around 700 firefighters are battling the blaze, supported by a 44-member unit from the Paris fire brigade (part of the army) and more than 300 gendarmes. Water-dropping aircraft have also been deployed. Prefect Sophie Brocas said weather conditions are unfavorable, with the wind blowing in the wrong direction. One firefighter was injured on Thursday morning, likely due to a gas cylinder explosion. One isolated house has been destroyed, but no other casualties have been reported.

Weather conditions are unfavorable, the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. There are no injuries, and one house has been destroyed.

A fire that is "difficult to understand"

Vice-prefect Jean-Louis Amat told Sud-Ouest that the fire is "difficult to understand," with flames appearing in different places and spreading in multiple directions. Authorities suspect the fire was accidental. The mayor of Le Porge, Martial Zaninetti, said a brush-clearing machine working in the area may have sparked it. An investigation has been opened by local police. Several roads have been closed, and ferry services from Arcachon and Le Moulleau to Cap Ferret, Le Canon, and Andernos have been suspended until further notice.

The fire is difficult to understand, with flames often appearing in different places and spreading in different directions.

National and regional context

France has experienced a severe fire season in 2026. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez estimated that about 12,500 fire outbreaks have occurred since January, burning approximately 44,000 hectares across the country. A separate fire in the Var department, near Gros Bessillon mountain, has consumed nearly 2,500 hectares and remains uncontained. In neighboring Portugal, over 1,000 firefighters are tackling more than a dozen blazes, with the largest in the Alijó municipality in the north. The Portuguese fires have disrupted operations at Lisbon airport, where firefighting aircraft were given priority, delaying dozens of flights, and forced the temporary closure of the IC 5 highway in the north.