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The Gironde and Landes wildfires, in Saumos and Biscarrosse, remained out of control on Friday, July 24. At 2:09 p.m., new evacuation orders targeted Arès, Andernos-les-Bains, Saumos, and Le Temple. As changing winds and extreme drought took their toll, emergency crews expanded their response. This situation update is current as of 2:50 p.m.
Status Updates That Change With Evacuations
The two fires advanced on separate fronts, and the authorities issued their updates at different times. Three sources track this escalation. The Gironde prefecture published an official update at 9:30 p.m.. The Landes prefecture released its midnight update. Officials completed these updates on Friday morning.
| Local Time | Department | Scope Of The Update |
|---|---|---|
| July 23, 9:30 p.m. | Gironde | About 4,800 hectares burned; nearly 20,000 people evacuated preventively; more than 800 firefighters deployed. |
| July 24, midnight | Landes | More than 1,000 hectares burned, 9,000 people evacuated, and more than 300 firefighters mobilized. |
| July 24, from 11:39 a.m. to 12:55 p.m. | Gironde | More than 10,000 hectares burned. 35,000 evacuated in two days. 53 homes and a campground destroyed. |
| July 24, 12:22 p.m. | Landes | About 2,600 hectares burned, 23,000 people evacuated, and 105 homes or buildings damaged, or possibly destroyed. |
These numbers do not always measure the same stage of the operation. Prefect Sophie Brocas gave the figure of 35,000 people at 11:39 a.m. It covers evacuations carried out in Gironde over the past two days. The figure of 40,000, cited for the Cap Ferret peninsula, described an operation still underway. Neither of the two can be added to the 23,000 evacuated in the Landes as if it were a simultaneous, consolidated total.
A New Evacuation Order Around Arcachon Bay
In Gironde, the Saumos fire had crossed a containment line around 1 a.m. Firefighters had prepared this line to slow its spread. An initial FR-Alert message had then ordered the evacuation of several villages on the peninsula. At 2:09 p.m., a new alert extended the order to residents of Arès, Andernos-les-Bains, Saumos, and Le Temple.
The fire still had not been contained by late morning. Marc Vermeulen, director of SDIS 33, said that 27 firefighters had received treatment. Six were taken to the hospital. Five had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. The sixth had an open ankle fracture after a gas cylinder exploded.
In Biscarrosse, The Fire Reaches Built-Up Areas
At 7 a.m., the Landes official update said more than 2,500 hectares had burned and 23,000 people had been evacuated. Nearly 600 firefighters were deployed. The evacuation initially targeted the eastern part of Biscarrosse. It then spread to the town center and campgrounds. It also affected a seniors’ facility and a summer camp.
At 12:22 p.m., Prefect Gilles Clavreul specified that the fire had entered the town. It had reached craft/business areas as well as homes. The 105 buildings counted were either damaged or destroyed. This property damage tally therefore remained provisional and did not constitute a final destruction count.
Vegetation Drier Than In 2022
The speed of the evacuations is tied to how the two fire fronts behaved. Marc Vermeulen describes a Gironde forest even drier than in 2022 and spread rates peaking at 800 to 1,000 hectares per hour. These brief surges do not determine the fire’s initial cause, which had not been established by investigators on Friday afternoon.
Météo-France forecast 37 to 39°C across much of the Southwest and as high as 38°C in Saumos. A wind shift and possible dry thunderstorms were expected. Such storm cells can bring strong gusts without enough rain to meaningfully moisten the forest. Changes in wind direction also make it harder to build stable defense lines.
The origin of the Saumos fire therefore remains to be confirmed. Enedis confirmed that one of its contractors was working there that day to clear brush, without establishing any causal link to the wildfire. According to AFP, a vehicle may have sparked the Biscarrosse fire on the RD 652; the investigation still needs to determine the circumstances.
European Reinforcements Announced, But Not Yet Deployed
Overnight, Emmanuel Macron announced the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism. He also announced two Croatian Canadairs and two Portuguese Air Tractors. Two heavy helicopters, one Czech and one Slovak, were to complete the reinforcements. On Friday, however, the European Commission’s office in France mentioned only one Croatian aircraft, bound for Nîmes. The Portuguese planes were to be based in Gironde. Their arrival was announced for Saturday.
This difference means a distinction must be made between promised resources, those in transit, and those already engaged on the fires. For immediate instructions, the authorities ask residents to follow FR-Alert. They also recommend official channels from the prefectures, firefighters, and municipalities. Residents must not go to the affected areas.
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