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Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas directed the final phase of evacuations for the entire Lège-Cap Ferret peninsula early Friday morning instructing residents and visitors to depart via the main D106 road toward Bordeaux or by boat from four piers between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time. Hundreds escaped the tourism destination by sea amid the advancing flames from a fire that ignited days earlier in nearby Saumos. The order followed the displacement of around 20000 people from the Gironde region the previous day many of them campsite visitors according to regional updates.
The wildfire has consumed 8700 hectares since starting on Tuesday with significant resources remaining on the ground and additional ground and air reinforcements expected soon. No new casualties were reported overnight in southwest France although two firefighters died earlier in the week while tackling a separate blaze near Bordeaux airport. French President Emmanuel Macron described the Gironde situation as very tense and requested European Union assistance that will arrive in the form of firefighting aircraft from Croatia Portugal the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
A separate major fire that broke out Thursday afternoon in the Landes region near Biscarrosse prompted the evacuation of more than 23000 people including 18000 from Biscarrosse and 5000 from Parentis-en-Born from homes campsites a nursing home and a summer camp. The center of Biscarrosse was under evacuation orders Friday morning as the flames continued unchecked in parts of the area. Local officials reported that evacuations from La Porge the previous night occurred calmly with homes in affected zones placed under monitoring to prevent vandalism.
The latest incidents form part of an intensified wildfire season across Europe. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre reported that 2025 became the EU’s most destructive wildfire season on record with more than 1079538 hectares burned across member states and a total exceeding 2242195 hectares when including monitored neighboring territories.[[1]](https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/2025-was-eus-most-destructive-wildfire-season-record-2026-03-31_en) Copernicus Climate Change Service assessments found fire danger levels above average for much of the continent from June to September in 2025 a pattern linked to prolonged dry conditions and heat waves that have persisted.[[2]](https://climate.copernicus.eu/esotc/2025/wildfires)
In neighboring Spain Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska declared a national emergency as wildfires burned out of control near the capital with blazes reported at Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias in the Madrid region as well as Burgohondo in Ávila province. Updates Friday morning described the fires as out of control although their advance had been limited in recent hours with evacuations ordered from Aldea del Fresno and surrounding communities. Spanish authorities continue deploying resources to contain the multiple outbreaks that prompted the nationwide alert.
Public authorities in both France and Spain have urged residents and tourists to avoid all affected zones to enable emergency operations without interference. The combination of the current Gironde and Landes fires with the record damage from the prior year highlights sustained pressure on regional response capabilities according to European Forest Fire Information System data. Additional international support is expected to bolster containment efforts in the coming days as forecasts indicate no immediate relief from the dry weather.
