Massive wildfires sweeping through southwestern France are threatening sensitive defence, aerospace and nuclear research facilities near Bordeaux, forcing evacuations and emergency measures as the country braces for its fourth major heatwave of the year.
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The blazes, which have intensified around the Gironde region, are reportedly closing in on missile and rocket factories where explosive materials are stored, including facilities linked to France’s strategic missile and space programmes.
The situation has raised concerns over the safety of key industrial and military sites, with reports indicating that at least seven sites containing hazardous substances are located within 12 miles of the fire zone.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the affected area, described the crisis as one of the most severe the country has faced in modern times.
“The situation we are dealing with today is the most severe we have ever recorded, the toughest since the Second World War,” Macron said.
The fires come as temperatures in the region are expected to climb to about 91 degrees Fahrenheit, or 33 degrees Celsius, roughly 13 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, creating more difficult conditions for firefighters.
French Economy Minister Roland Lescure said the fires had disrupted more than 13,000 businesses in the Gironde region, with several forced to close or evacuate.
One of the evacuated towns is Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, west-northwest of Bordeaux, which hosts a major factory that produces propellants for Ariane space rockets and France’s strategic missiles.
A nearby plant in Sainte-Hélène also produces ammonium perchlorate, a key oxidizer used in solid rocket propellants.
Reports also said the fires are threatening factories that manufacture key parts for France’s nuclear missiles, Rafale fighter jets and military missiles.
ArianeGroup evacuated employees from sites located in the fire zone, while France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission closed its military research centre in Le Barp as the wildfires advanced towards Bordeaux.
Officials, however, said there was no risk of radioactive leakage because the facility does not contain nuclear materials.
French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said protective measures had been deployed around the affected strategic sites due to the nature of the products stored there.
France’s Defence Ministry also said about 1,500 military personnel had been deployed since July 25 to support firefighting operations and help secure strategic industrial sites.
So far, the fires have burned more than 104,000 acres, or about 42,000 hectares, in the Gironde region, making them among France’s largest wildfires on record.
Authorities said about 240 homes had been destroyed, while nearly 4,000 holidaymakers had been evacuated from campsites, holiday villages and tourist resorts in Lacanau, about 35 miles west of Bordeaux.
The crisis is part of one of Europe’s worst wildfire seasons in decades, with France and Spain both battling major blazes linked to extreme heat, dry conditions, human error, arson and land management challenges.
Reports said more than 250,000 people had been evacuated across Spain and France, while other estimates put recent evacuations across the affected areas at roughly 360,000.
The fires have also affected parts of France’s famous Bordeaux wine region, while Spain has declared a national emergency as emergency crews continue to battle widespread blazes.
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