Bordeaux mayor Thomas Cazenave has warned that the city is bracing for all eventualities as a wildfire has moved within nine miles (15 km) of the southwestern French city.
He told reporters, "We are preparing to accommodate a large number of people should further evacuations be ordered."
The Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the situation as unprecedented, saying firefighters in Gironde were battling a blaze that "has a life of its own."
Across France, around 220,000 people have been evacuated, while in Spain more than 100,000 have fled as fires burn uncontrolled west of Madrid.
Another intense heatwave is further hampering response efforts, making the fire season "unprecedented." Spanish authorities have declared a national emergency, with satellite imagery showing the spread over 27,000 hectares.
Mayor Jerome Steffe of Cestas, a town south of Bordeaux, said the recent fire would be "the fire of the century," noting 17,000 residents were evacuated after the blaze swelled two days ago. He added that the region had seen 42,000 hectares burned and 240 houses destroyed, and that the risk remains from flying embers and shifting winds.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that 116,085 hectares had been burned and 13,566 fire starts recorded since January. He noted that nine out of ten fires are human‑caused, often from careless acts, and that 162 arrests have taken place since 6 July for deliberate acts.
President Emmanuel Macron is currently visiting fire‑ravaged areas in Gironde to show support for firefighters and emergency teams.
The wildfires also extend to other French regions, including Var, Landes, and Haute‑Corsica on the island of Corsica.
Authorities warn that the region faces the "worst fires in its history" due to a rapid rise in temperatures. Climate change has caused Europe to warm twice as fast as the global average, leading to more intense heatwaves, water supply pressure and consequently stronger wildfires.
