Conflict · France wildfires · ArchiefTwo Firefighters Die Battling France Wildfires Near Bordeaux; Record 42,000 Hectares BurnedGeschreven 7 september 2026 om 21:22 UTCKijkenTranscript0:00A devastating day in southwestern0:01France. Two firefighters have been0:03killed battling a wildfire near0:05Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport. The deadliest0:08moment yet in what is now France's worst0:10fire season since the Second World War.0:12More than 42,000 hectares have burned0:14across the country by mid-July, already0:17surpassing the 2022 record, and it keeps0:19spreading. This fire erupted near0:21Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport on July 21st.0:24Thick smoke even forced a temporary0:26grounding of departing flights. The0:28blaze is one of dozens burning across0:30and Var departments, stretching fire0:32crews to their limits. President Macron0:34says France has faced a record number of0:36wildfire outbreaks since World War II.0:38Nearly 50,000 hectares went up in flames0:41in just the first 2 weeks of July alone.0:43The fire that killed the two0:44firefighters is now under a judicial0:46investigation opened by the Bordeaux0:48prosecutor.0:50France has already matched its entire0:522022 wildfire record by mid-July. And0:54with peak summer still weeks ahead,0:56officials warn the destruction will only0:58deepen. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez1:01confirmed that nearly 40,000 hectares1:03have burned since the start of 2026. He1:06announced 111 arson arrests, saying nine1:09out of 10 fires are human-caused,1:11intentional, or criminal negligence.1:13Climate conditions are making every1:14spark catastrophic. A ferocious heat1:16wave is driving these conditions,1:18temperatures above 40° C across much of1:21southern Europe. Record drought has1:22turned forests and farmland into tinder.1:25Climate scientists point to this heat1:27and drought combination as the1:28accelerant behind the record burn.1:30The two firefighters killed near1:32Bordeaux are the first line of duty1:34deaths in this season's fires. With the1:35heat wave showing no sign of breaking1:37and more outbreaks reported in Provence,1:39Corsica, and the Côte d'Azur, France is1:42bracing for what could be its longest1:43and most destructive wildfire season on1:45record.Lees het artikelTijdlijn van het verhaalHeyDexDe korte video ↗
