Macron calls crisis meeting of French cabinet as blaze approaches Bordeaux

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedSportOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNews|Climate CrisisMacron calls crisis meeting of French cabinet as blaze approaches BordeauxThe situation in France is currently stable, authorities say, but another heatwave is on the way. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoFirefighters battle a forest fire in Saint-Jean-d'Illac, some 30km from Bordeaux [Romain Perrocheau/AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff, Reuters and The Associated PressPublished On 27 Jul 202627 Jul 2026President Emmanuel Macron has called a crisis meeting of the French cabinet to coordinate efforts to contain massive wildfires ravaging the country’s southwest, as firefighters race to prevent the flames from reaching the historic city of Bordeaux. Forecasts that another heatwave will hit France later in the week have added to the urgency of Monday’s meeting. Firefighters battled the blaze throughout the night, and the provincial authority of Gironde, the wine-growing region that includes Bordeaux, said the situation remained “broadly stable”. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said on Sunday that the fire “is still at the gates of the metropolitan area”. At their closest point, the flames were 15km (9 miles) from metropolitan Bordeaux, which is home to about 850,000 people. Footage of the wildfires shows scenes of widespread destruction, with thick clouds of smoke obscuring the sky and large areas of forest where the trees are engulfed by flames. “This is a fire of a size never seen before,” said Jerome Steffe, the mayor of Cestas, a suburb just outside Bordeaux city. Wildfires in France and Spain have caused widespread disruption, upending lives and forcing more than 300,000 people to flee their homes. The blazes come as Europe experiences record-breaking temperatures, with scientists warning that extreme heat is drying out the continent. Europe has already experienced three heatwaves this summer, which have fuelled the wildfires. Several countries have set new temperature records. In Spain, more than 75,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Some of the worst blazes are getting closer to Madrid but have “slowed their advance”, the regional government said on Monday. “It looked like the apocalypse,” said 35-year-old Rocio Dominguez, who fled her house in Chapineria, west of Madrid, with her two dogs. “You couldn’t see anything. Everything was covered in ash.” Authorities say they will begin allowing some people evacuated from Madrid to return to their homes. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: