The fires that are ravaging the southwest of France, especially in the Gironde region, have already forced the evacuation of more than 200,000 people and have destroyed nearly 98,000 hectares of land. This is an unprecedented figure, according to the French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, who has announced the dispatch of new military reinforcements in the coming hours. The impact is being felt throughout the country: the organizers of the Tour de France have decided to shorten the final stage scheduled for tomorrow in Paris in order to free up resources for the fight against the fire.
In Gironde, the largest department of metropolitan France, 167,000 residents have been evacuated, a third of them during the past night, along with another 30,000 displaced people in the neighboring region of Landes in recent hours. In Gironde, the flames have already scorched 40,000 hectares and the evolution for the coming hours remains uncertain. Humidity has increased this morning, but for about half an hour, the winds have begun to blow from west to east, again accelerating the advance of the fire, although for now with less intensity.
This brief improvement in conditions has allowed firefighters and military personnel, mobilized at the request of the President of the Government, to attack the front of the fire. Currently, there are 500 personnel on the ground, with another 500 to be added shortly, and an additional protocol has been activated that contemplates the deployment of another 500 more depending on needs.
According to the latest report from the Gironde Prefecture, at least 54 firefighters have required medical attention and nine of them have had to be evacuated, although none are in life-threatening danger. The Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has called for a new interministerial crisis cell late Saturday afternoon to coordinate the response to the wildfires affecting the country.
At the same time, the Tour organization has confirmed that the last stage of the Tour de France on Sunday will be reduced to 89 kilometers and will take place only in Paris, as more emergency services are needed to address the wildfires on French territory.
Thus, the final day will have 44 kilometers less than the 133 initially scheduled from Thiory to the Champs-Élysées, and the arrival on the iconic avenue will also become the starting point.
"Given that numerous fires are currently affecting mainland France, particularly Gironde, emergency services are fully mobilized to combat the disasters, while internal security forces contribute to securing the affected areas and protecting the population," explained the Prefecture of Police of Paris and the organizing team of the Tour de France in a joint statement.