Quarter of a million evacuated in France as wildfires spread near Bordeaux
Major wildfires near Bordeaux, France, have forced approximately 250,000 people to evacuate as the blazes continue to spread.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Over a quarter of a million people have been ordered to leave their homes in France and Spain as wildfires burn out of control near Bordeaux and Madrid. The mayor of Bordeaux said the flames were only 15 miles from the centre of the historic city. In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned of difficult hours ahead after visiting the fires close to the capital.
In France, the Gironde region has been devastated. One of the worst forest fires since the Second World War, it has destroyed homes, cars and livelihoods. A 24-hour battle continues against strong and erratic winds. A giant military cargo plane was deployed for the first time to drop fire retardant. President Macron promised to rebuild after an area 10 times the size of Paris was destroyed. Evacuees described their distress. One woman said she was in tears and felt belittled. Another man returning to his home said it was hell and they had lost everything. Police went door to door to enforce evacuations, and a 91-year-old man was reluctant to leave. Schools and leisure centres are filling with evacuees. In Bordeaux itself, smoke is visible but officials said there was no evacuation of the city, and they warned of false information circulating in foreign media.
In Spain, two large fires near Madrid have burnt 25,000 hectares, twice the surface area of Paris. A change in wind has eased conditions but authorities say the fires remain out of control. Around 100,000 people have been affected, with no casualties reported. People are complying with evacuation and lockdown orders. Prime Minister Sanchez called for a national agreement to tackle wildfires and said the country needed better coordination to deal with what he called a climate emergency. Portuguese fire crews have joined the effort under an EU agreement.
The scale of the fires is linked to an exceptionally wet winter that led to high plant growth, then dried out by the hottest start of the year on record. Human-induced climate change has played a central role, according to the BBC's Paris correspondent.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC NEWS | BBC One | Channel 4 | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The military was mobilised to help fight wildfires in the Bordeaux area. | ||||
| France ordered an additional 55,000 evacuations, bringing the total to about 250,000. | · | · | · | |
| More than 250,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes in France and Spain due to wildfires. | · | · | · | |
| President Macron promised to rebuild after an area 10 times the size of Paris was destroyed. | · | · | · | |
| The mayor of Bordeaux said the flames were 15 miles from the city centre. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC's coverage combined on-the-ground reporting from both France and Spain with human interest stories and official statements. It emphasised the personal impact on evacuees and the scale of the disaster, while also providing context on climate change and government responses. The tone was urgent but measured, with a focus on factual updates and eyewitness accounts.
- “Well over a quarter of a million people have now been ordered to leave their homes in France and Spain as wildfires burn out of Control”
- “the mayor of Bordeaux says the flames are now only 15 miles from the center of the historic city”
- “It's hell, we've lost everything, he says, as he surveys what's left of his home.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.