France wildfires see first Airbus A400M retardant drop amid critical evacuations

Massive forest fires continue to rage in France's Gironde and Landes departments. By Saturday, 55,000 new evacuations had been ordered, bringing the total number of displaced people to around 167,000. The blazes have scorched approximately 32,700 hectares, destroyed 140 homes and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents.

The French government has mobilised a large emergency force: about 1,400 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel and 1,700 security agents are on the ground. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that “the next hours can be difficult” and highlighted the use of the military transport aircraft A400M, fitted with a kit to drop up to 20 tonnes of retardant foam. The aircraft performed its first operational drop over Lacanau, a “world‑first” described by Lecornu as possible thanks to rapid coordination between the civil security services, the armed forces and Airbus.

The retardant creates a protective barrier in front of the fire, slowing vegetation combustion and helping ground crews contain the flames. Authorities continue to urge residents to follow evacuation orders and avoid the fire zones while the operation proceeds.