Gironde wildfires pick up as French region braces for new 40C heatwave

Image source, Reuters By Laura Gozzi Published 3 minutes ago Firefighters in France are working around the clock to contain wildfires that have been raging in the Gironde region, while bracing for another sharp rise in temperatures. "The fire is like David against Goliath," said Eric Brocardi, spokesman of the national firefighters' federation. Four of his colleagues had died in recent weeks across France, he said, and 2,000 had been deployed in the Gironde to contain the flames, which for days have ravaged the countryside between the coastline and Bordeaux. "Weather conditions were unfavourable," a local official warned, as this summer's fourth heatwave was expected to start by Wednesday, bringing temperatures in the area to 40C. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, "The fire is like David against Goliath," said the spokesman of the French firefighters' federation Bordeaux, which has a population of 260,000, is not currently under threat, according to officials. But Commander Rémi Lassoureille, who is leading the firefighting response in the Gironde region, is worried about the western edge of the wildfire. "We are frightened about the impact on Bordeaux and the metropolitan area," he said. One of the wildfires burning on Monday was 15km (9 miles) from the periphery of Bordeaux, where the air quality has deteriorated dramatically in recent days. "By Sunday evening everything had really begun to empty out," a holidaymaker from Essex told the BBC, adding that the air was "really smoky" with bits of ash. "People were staying indoors, so it was eerie, and very sad." The majority of residents and tourists were wearing masks and the smell of smoke clung on to clothes for days, she said. A firefighter "got a round of applause" as he walked through the Marché Chartrons square in Bordeaux where restaurants were having to close their doors because of the ash in the air, she added. "The city has been very quiet," said Graham White, president of the Bordeaux British Community. "The shops, restaurants and cafes are fairly empty... Interestingly on Sunday when there was still smoke, there were people brave enough to sit outside on terraces." White, who has been living in the area for several years, said this sort of event had not occurred before and was "something significant". But some news reports had suggested the situation in Bordeaux was "akin to being the next Great Fire of London", which was not the case, White added. President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the fire-ravaged area in the Gironde region on Monday, said the country was facing a "completely unprecedented wildfire... the "toughest since World War Two". Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the government was being "very vigilant" in terms of air pollution and urged people in the affected areas to stay indoors. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, A message to firefighters in the Biscarrosse area, south-east of Bordeaux On Tuesday morning the Gironde prefect ordered a new evacuation