French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Thursday that a mega-fire in Gironde has been stabilized but is not yet fully extinguished.

The scale of the blaze marks a significant escalation in regional wildfire activity, forcing massive evacuations and destroying vast tracts of forest and land.

Nuñez said the event was "exceptional, totally inédit" [1]. He confirmed that the fire has ravaged 42,000 hectares [1]. While the minister said the fire is currently stabilized, he noted it is not yet fixed [1].

Despite the stabilization, reports indicate the situation remains precarious. Two active hotspots persist south of Lacanau and on the Cap Ferret peninsula [2]. Other reports suggest the fire has not progressed for three consecutive days, spanning Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday [3].

The disaster triggered one of the largest displacement efforts in the region. Approximately 144,000 people were evacuated from their homes before being allowed to return [2].

Nuñez said the mega-fire in Gironde had not progressed recently [3]. The interior ministry continues to monitor the areas around Biscarrosse and the surrounding forests to prevent new ignitions.

This event follows a pattern of extreme summer heat across France, which has seen additional fire starts in the Var, Côte-d'Or, and the Fontainebleau forest this week [2].

“"exceptional, totally inédit"”

The classification of this fire as 'unprecedented' by the Interior Ministry suggests a shift in the scale of wildfire behavior in southwest France. The simultaneous occurrence of fires in disparate regions like Fontainebleau and the Var indicates a broader national vulnerability to extreme weather, necessitating a potential reevaluation of current forest management and emergency evacuation protocols.