Emmanuel Macron pledges reconstruction as French wildfires force evacuation of 200,000 people
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X that the nation shows unity amid the raging wildfires in the southwest, promising that the state will “rebuild, repair and be present for as long as needed.”
The fires, spread across Gironde, Landes and the Zirond region, are about 30 km from Bordeaux. Authorities have evacuated roughly 200 000 residents and tourists, imposed limits on road and rail traffic, and kept the Bordeaux airport open while reducing public‑transport services.
Displaced citizens such as 71‑year‑old Bernadette and her grandchildren are sheltering in a conference centre converted into a temporary refuge. Similar evacuations are under way in Spain’s Madrid and Ávila regions, where health officials advise the public to wear masks against smoke.
European neighbours—including Romania, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia—have offered assistance, and France has deployed an A400M military transport aircraft equipped for aerial firefighting.