Macron requests EU aerial firefighting aid as three major wildfires burn across southern France
Three major wildfires in southwestern and southeastern France have burned thousands of hectares and forced the evacuation of more than 43,000 people. President Macron has activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, securing firefighting aircraft from four member states.
Fires across southern France
Three large wildfires remain active in France. In Gironde, a fire of likely accidental origin has burned 8,700 hectares north of the Arcachon basin. A second fire, sparked by a burning vehicle near Biscarrosse in Landes, has consumed 2,500 hectares and is not under control. In the southeastern Var department, a fire active for three days has destroyed 2,700 hectares and 25 homes. A separate blaze in Corsica's Restonica valley has been burning for 12 days, scorching 600 hectares.
- Arcachon (Gironde)
- 8700 hectares
- Biscarrosse (Landes)
- 2500 hectares
- Var
- 2700 hectares
EU air support activated
President Emmanuel Macron announced on the night of 23 July that France had requested activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Croatia will send two Canadair amphibious planes, Portugal two Air Tractor aircraft, and the Czech Republic together with Slovakia two heavy Black Hawk helicopters.
The situation remains under enormous tension with the fires ravaging the country, particularly in Gironde.
Macron described the assistance as "concrete, rapid and operational solidarity" from European partners. The request follows weeks of strain on France's aerial firefighting fleet, exposed by a recent fire in Fontainebleau, 60 kilometres from Paris.
Arcachon peninsula evacuated
The Gironde fire started on 22 July. Around 800 firefighters, 200 vehicles and six aircraft have been deployed. Prefect Sophie Brocas ordered the final phase of the evacuation of the entire Cap-Ferret peninsula on the morning of 24 July, with residents and tourists leaving by the single road and by boat. Approximately 20,000 people have been moved from the area, a major Atlantic tourist destination. One firefighter was injured by a gas cylinder explosion in a burning residence. The flames have reached the cemetery of Lège-Cap-Ferret, destroyed six houses, and spread to the Île aux Oiseaux, a protected site known for its stilted cabins.
Landes and Var fronts
The Landes fire began on 23 July and has forced 23,000 people to evacuate, with 600 firefighters mobilised. In Var, the fire has kept 300 people displaced and threatened the village of Cotignac, a traditional Provençal settlement. Multiple flare-ups occurred on 23 July, but improving weather allowed some evacuees to return. Around 800 firefighters remain deployed there.
- Fire in Saumos near Bordeaux airport kills two firefighters.
- Arcachon fire starts in Gironde, likely accidental.
- Landes fire ignites from a burning vehicle; Var fire sees multiple flare-ups; Macron requests EU aerial assistance.
- Final evacuation of Cap-Ferret ordered; EU confirms aircraft from Croatia, Portugal, Czechia and Slovakia.
Heatwave and national toll
France has recorded 12,500 fires so far in 2026, more than half of them in the last month, with 44,000 hectares burned nationwide. A new heatwave is forecast for the coming week. The extreme heat in the last two weeks of June was linked to 5,764 excess deaths.
Our security forces are waging a real battle against forest fires.
Two firefighters died on 21 July while tackling a blaze near Bordeaux airport in Saumos, a separate fire that underscored the lethal conditions facing crews this summer.
