France's largest wildfire in decades, which scorched over 42,000 hectares (104,000 acres) near Bordeaux, has been brought under control, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. The fire, which erupted in a pine forest over a week ago, is no longer progressing but remains active in some areas. The blaze has destroyed around 240 homes and forced the evacuation of 220,000 people, most of whom have since returned. The wildfire, allegedly started by a brushwood-clearing machine, is the largest in France since a 1949 blaze in the same region.
The Gironde region, near the winemaking capital of Bordeaux, has been particularly hard-hit, with the fire tearing through an area larger than the US city of Detroit. Firefighters and volunteers, supported by water-bombing aircraft, have been battling the flames relentlessly. Sophie Brocas, the prefect of the Gironde region, noted the region was 'coming up for air' after more than a week of intense firefighting efforts.
In southeastern France, firefighters managed to halt the advance of another fast-moving blaze in the Var region. Strong winds had caused the flames to spread rapidly, but no new progression was reported on Saturday morning. This fire is one of several that have consumed 5,600 hectares of land in the Var region in July alone.
The total area of land burnt so far this year in France stands at 92,000 hectares, the largest on record for any year over the past 20 years, according to satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). The extreme weather events, including deadly heatwaves, have been linked to human-made climate change by scientists.
The containment of this massive wildfire is a significant development, though challenges remain in fully extinguishing the remaining active areas. The event underscores the increasing threat of wildfires due to climate change, a concern that resonates globally, including in countries like Bangladesh which face similar environmental challenges.
