France puts out massive fire that torched 42,000 hectares and smouldered for 69 days
Summary
A huge wildfire in southwestern France has finally been put out after burning for more than two months. The fire destroyed 42,000 hectares of land, forced 224,000 people to evacuate, and was the largest wildfire in France since 1949.Key Facts
- The fire started in July near the village of Saumos in the Gironde region.
- About 42,000 hectares of forest burned, with 37,296 hectares fully destroyed.
- Around 224,000 people had to leave their homes because of the fire.
- The fire was controlled by August 1 but kept smouldering underground for weeks.
- Over 3,300 firefighters worked to put out the fire, making it the biggest firefighting effort in modern French history.
- No deaths were reported from the wildfire.
- This fire was the largest in France since 1949 when about 50,000 hectares burned in the same region.
- In 2026, France experienced the highest area damaged by wildfires since 1976, with about 98,000 hectares destroyed.
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