France prepares to evacuate 200,000 people as new wildfires threaten the southwest
Extreme heat and strong winds over the weekend have reignited fires in southwest France; firefighters across several European countries have been battling blazes for weeks.
Several towns in the southwest of France are again under threat from fast-moving wildfires, and authorities are preparing for the possible evacuation of 200,000 people.
What had seemed to be stabilizing by the end of last week worsened over the weekend as extreme heat and strong winds fanned existing blazes and sparked new outbreaks across the region.
Local officials have warned residents in affected areas to be ready to leave at short notice while emergency services assess the most at-risk districts.
European firefighting effort stretched
Firefighters in France are part of a wider, multi-country response: crews in Spain, Italy, Greece and Albania have also been battling a wave of wildfires for weeks. The conflagrations have destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of land across the affected countries.
Authorities said the combination of prolonged high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds made containment difficult and increased the likelihood of further evacuations if conditions do not improve.
Residents in vulnerable communities have been told to follow instructions from local emergency services and to prepare emergency kits and evacuation plans in case orders are issued.
Photo: press material from the event
