Gironde fire stabilized: Government rejects criticism over response resources

Saumos – 28 July 2026: According to authorities, the major fire in the northwest of the Gironde remained stable on Tuesday morning. The area burned since 22 July near Saumos was still estimated at 42,000 hectares. A calm night and quickly contained flare-ups provided relief to emergency crews. However, the fire was not yet fully under control.

Mathieu Lefevre, Minister for Ecological Transition, confirmed the stabilized situation in a radio interview. At the same time, he rejected accusations that police, civil protection and fire services were inadequately equipped for such a situation. Parts of the opposition, Lefevre said, had opposed previous budget increases and were now criticizing them for not going far enough. According to the report available, he did not specify which votes he was referring to.

The controversy concerns both short-term operational capability and long-term preparedness. On the ground, firefighting depends on the availability of water-bombing aircraft, helicopters, firefighters, logistics and security services. Politically, the issue is about multi-year decisions on staffing, equipment, forest management, prevention and funding for municipal and departmental emergency services.

The Interior Ministry put the area burned in France since the start of the year at 116,085 hectares. This already exceeds the total for the exceptional fire year of 2022, when just over 70,000 hectares of forest and vegetation were destroyed. According to the government, 13,550 vegetation fires have been recorded so far in 2026. The figures describe a nationwide strain extending far beyond the Gironde.

Because of the spread of the fire, authorities in the Gironde had moved a total of 220,000 people to safety as a precaution. The evacuations also affected municipalities in the wider Bordeaux area and around the Arcachon Basin. Whether residents can return depends on the assessment of the incident command. A fire is considered stabilized when its spread has been temporarily halted; this does not rule out new fire outbreaks.

At the beginning of July, in view of heat and drought, the government had ordered closer coordination among prefectures, civil protection, municipalities and fire services. At the Cabinet meeting on 27 July, it also referred to wildfire legislation adopted in 2023 and investments in more resilient forests. Nevertheless, the scale of the fire near Saumos is placing considerable strain on personnel, equipment and logistics.

While the government and opposition argue over previous budget decisions, incident commands remain responsible for protective measures. On Tuesday morning, the burned area had not grown further, according to authorities. Precautions remained in place in the Gironde because of possible reignitions in wind and dry vegetation.