French authorities have ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula in southwestern France.

France orders total evacuation of Cap Ferret peninsula as wildfire spreads

French authorities have ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula in southwestern France. An intense and highly unpredictable wildfire has already devastated more than 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of land. The fire is currently not under control and is advancing rapidly at speeds of up to 1,000 hectares per hour.

🚨 Critical Evacuation Details

• Scale: Around 40,000 residents and summer tourists are being progressively evacuated.
• Routes: People must leave using hundreds of mobilized rescue boats from four designated village piers or via the single road connecting the peninsula to the mainland.
• Destinations: Evacuation boats are ferrying holidaymakers across the bay to the port of Arcachon.
• Property Damage: At least 80 homes have caught fire, with approximately 50 completely destroyed.

🔥 Broader Regional Impact

• Biscarrosse Fire: A second major wildfire is burning 40 kilometers south in the Landes region, forcing 23,000 additional evacuations.
• International Aid: President Emmanuel Macron has activated the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism to bring in water bombers and heavy helicopters from Croatia, Portugal, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
• Simultaneous Crisis: In neighboring Spain, a national emergency has been declared as concurrent out-of-control blazes merge near Madrid.