A 2:47 a.m. alert, a rabbit and 220,000 evacuees as France’s wildfire rages on - AP News

What the report says

The Associated Press reports that a major wildfire in southwest France has forced more than 220,000 people to leave their homes in the Gironde region, with evacuees sheltering in temporary centers in Bordeaux as of Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Among them is Morgane Bonichot, a 40-year-old childcare worker from Saint-Jean-d’Illac, who fled with her 9-year-old daughter, their rabbit and their dog after receiving an urgent phone alert at 2:47 a.m. on Saturday, July 25.

According to AP, regional authorities have cleared two dozen towns and villages, including some damaged by the flames and others evacuated as a precaution because they sit between the fire and Bordeaux. Evacuations paused Monday when the blaze stopped advancing, then resumed Tuesday after the fire flared again. Officials moved another 4,000 people from campsites and holiday homes along the northern edge of the fire.

AP says the blaze has burned an area four times the size of Paris and has resisted a large firefighting response involving support from a dozen countries. The report describes extreme fire behavior, including conditions in which the blaze generated lightning that sparked additional flames. Authorities have said their priority is preventing deaths.

The displacement is part of a broader wildfire emergency in southwest Europe. AP reports that historic fires in Spain have also forced tens of thousands of evacuations, bringing the number of people displaced across the region to roughly a third of a million. The scale highlights the growing strain wildfires can place on emergency systems, local governments and evacuee shelters.