Fires in France and Spain are under control. Now it is the heat and wind that are causing concern

The French authorities have ordered the evacuation of nearly 4,000 people from campsites, holiday apartments, holiday villages and amusement parks in the vicinity of Lacanau, on the French Atlantic coast, as deteriorating weather conditions threaten to increase the risk of forest fires. The regional authorities in Gironde have specified that the evacuations have affected Lacanau Ocean and both shores of Lacanau Lake. Residents have been asked to take their personal belongings with them, to follow emergency instructions and to stay away from the area until the authorities allow them to return.

The French fire service, however, kept the vast forest fire in the south-west of the country under control throughout the night until this morning, extinguishing the blazes near the dunes on the Atlantic coast: a crucial respite before the return of hot weather and falling humidity threaten to put their control over the flames under severe strain. The fire remained under control at 6 am, following a quiet night, and the area burnt remained unchanged at 420 square kilometres, according to the Gironde prefecture.

Several fires were detected overnight north of Le Porge and in the dunes north of Cap Ferret, but they were brought under control by the fire service, according to the authorities. “We are in a precarious situation,” Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for the National Federation of French Fire Brigades, told BFM TV on Tuesday. “We will continue to fight this fire despite the expected rise in temperatures.” The affected areas are located along the Atlantic coast west of Bordeaux, where fire crews have been battling the flames since the blaze broke out near Saumos last week. However, the night-time lull does not mean the danger has passed. The fire remains stabilised but not contained, which means it can still spread.

The fire, which has been raging since last week, has proved extremely unpredictable, at times turning into a self-sustaining firestorm as it swept across an area four times the size of Paris, forcing 220,000 people to flee their homes and accommodation. Even after 24 hours without any further progress, the authorities have warned that the still-smouldering vegetation, rising temperatures and falling humidity could cause new outbreaks along the vast perimeter.

This morning, the fire service and military engineers resumed work on creating tactical firebreaks designed to prevent the spread of the flames. The authorities have stated that 103 kilometres of firebreaks have been completed.