French Wildfires Threaten 7 Hazardous Sites Near Bordeaux as 1,500 Troops Guard Defense Plants
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 28
French Wildfires Threaten 7 Hazardous Sites Near Bordeaux as 1,500 Troops Guard Defense Plants
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 28
Summary
Seven hazardous industrial sites within 12 miles of the Gironde fires are under threat near Bordeaux, including missile, rocket and military research facilities as flames push toward evacuated towns.
1,500 French military personnel have been deployed since July 25 to help firefighters and secure strategic plants, while ArianeGroup and the CEA shut or evacuated affected sites; officials said the research center holds no nuclear material.
42,000 hectares have burned in Gironde, destroying about 240 homes and forcing nearly 4,000 holidaymakers out of resorts around Lacanau; more than 13,000 businesses in the region have also been disrupted.
A fourth major heatwave is set to hit Tuesday, with temperatures near 33C—about 7C above normal—adding pressure to crews battling what Macron called France's worst wildfire situation since World War Two.
Across France and Spain, one of Europe's worst wildfire seasons in decades has driven roughly 360,000 evacuations in recent days.