FRANCE deployed a massive military cargo aircraft on Saturday to drop tonnes of flame retardant as firefighters battled raging wildfires that threatened communities in the country’s southwest, while organisers shortened the final stage of the Tour de France to free up security personnel for emergency operations.
The latest wave of wildfires across southern Europe has displaced more than 250,000 people, including around 70,000 residents evacuated in central Spain. One person has died in the fires so far, according to authorities in the municipality of Manises.
In France, an A400M military transporter aircraft made repeated low-altitude passes over drought-stricken woodland, releasing long trails of ochre-coloured retardant as ground crews fought flames that authorities feared could advance towards the Bordeaux wine region.
Foreign news agencies reported that the escalating crisis also affected the Tour de France, with organisers and Paris police announcing exceptional measures for the 21st and final stage of the three-week cycling event.
Instead of beginning from Thoiry, west of Paris, riders will now compete only within the capital on an 89-kilometre circuit, reduced from the planned 133-kilometre route.
A portion of the race’s security personnel will be redeployed to support wildfire response efforts in affected areas.
“Exceptional measures made necessary by the situation” were announced as emergency services faced mounting pressure from two major fires in southwest France.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said shifting winds posed a serious threat as flames could be pushed closer towards Bordeaux.
Firefighters were digging containment trenches, deploying retardants and taking other measures to slow the blaze, which was located about 30 kilometres west of the city.
Nunez described the firefighting operation as a “long and very difficult” battle, while Gironde regional authorities warned that the blaze, which intensified into a “firestorm” on Friday, remained dangerous despite progress made by crews.
The French government has mobilised soldiers to support firefighters and is distributing 1.5 million face masks to protect residents and emergency personnel from smoke exposure.
Evacuation orders were issued for communities between the fire and Bordeaux, including parts of the city’s western suburbs and surrounding towns and villages.
Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said the wildfire had destroyed around 140 homes, while Bordeaux authorities prepared shelters capable of accommodating up to 10,000 evacuees if required.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the fires as unprecedented, saying the Gironde blaze had become so intense that it generated its own winds, making firefighting operations more challenging.
The A400M aircraft, specially converted for firefighting missions, joined at least 18 other water- and retardant-dropping aircraft and helicopters deployed in the region.
Authorities said the scale and intensity of the fires had caught emergency services off guard, with prolonged heatwaves and the effects of climate change turning forests and grasslands into highly combustible areas.
In Spain, firefighters said some blazes spread with such speed and force that direct attacks were impossible. In several coastal areas of France, some residents were forced to flee by boat as flames swept through tourist towns.
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Javier Organista, a resident of El Tiemblo, west of Madrid, where fire destroyed a historic chestnut grove.
Spain deployed around 2,600 firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel to tackle two major fires west of Madrid, supported by 19 aircraft and helicopters.
France deployed 1,400 firefighters to the Gironde blaze, alongside hundreds more battling another wildfire in the Landes region. Several firefighters were injured as residents fled by car and police conducted door-to-door evacuations.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said wildfires had already destroyed 130,000 hectares of forest in the country this year, exceeding the annual average of 100,000 hectares recorded over the past decade.
He said improving weather conditions on Saturday provided a “window of opportunity” for firefighters to regain control of the blazes.
Several European countries, including Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany and Switzerland, have provided or are preparing to provide firefighting aircraft and helicopters to assist France and Spain. - July 26, 2026
