On Tuesday, France was preparing for its fourth significant heatwave of the year, as surging temperatures and parched conditions in the southwest increased the strain on teams fighting a massive wildfire in the Bordeaux area.
Daytime temperatures in Bordeaux are expected to climb to 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), roughly 7 degrees higher than the average maximum recorded between 1961 and 1990, as per the Reuters Climate Monitor.
President Emmanuel Macron, who traveled to the region, said on Monday evening that the current situation is the most serious ever recorded, and the most difficult since the Second World War.
Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control overnight, but conditions remained challenging, said Nathalie Delattre, the Senator for Gironde, the region that includes the city of Bordeaux.
"Everything will depend on how the firefighters on the ground get on," she told BFM TV on Tuesday.
France is going through an unprecedented wildfire season. The area burned has already surpassed the previous record year of 2022.
The Landes region, located southwest of Bordeaux, is blanketed with pine forests that become extremely flammable in dry conditions. The blaze has already destroyed 42,000 hectares.
Officials have relocated approximately 220,000 individuals, including tourists and local inhabitants.
Temperatures in the region were forecast to rise from the afternoon and reach a high of 37 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, according to the weather agency Meteo France.
