A ‘monster’ fire in southwest France has been contained, allowing authorities to reopen a section of highway to traffic ahead of a busy travel weekend.
The local prefect tweeted on Saturday that ‘the fire did not advance overnight thanks to the significant means employed.’
Local firefighters were assisted by reinforcements from across Europe in putting out the fire that has destroyed forests in France’s Gironde region since Tuesday and forced 10,000 people to leave their homes. Wind and sweltering temperatures of up to 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in recent days have fanned the fire.
More than 20,000 hectares of forest were destroyed by fires in the southwest of France in July, displacing nearly 40,000 people temporarily from their homes.
This summer’s string of heatwaves that ignited wildfires across Europe brought to light the dangers that climate change poses to industry and way of life.
On Saturday night, storms are anticipated to sweep across France, lowering temperatures and igniting severe weather warnings.
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