Wildfire near Biscarrosse: Horses from riding centres brought to safety

Biscarrosse – 24 July 2026: Smoke hangs over the pine forests of the Landes region as emergency services battle a wildfire that remains out of control in and around Biscarrosse. According to reports from the scene, several horses were released from riding centres during the acute danger situation. The animals were not to be trapped by the fire in stables or enclosed areas.

According to the Landes prefecture, the fire broke out on Thursday, 23 July, at around 3:45 p.m. on the D652 departmental road in Biscarrosse. By Friday morning, it had already engulfed more than 2,500 hectares of forest and vegetation. Strong winds are complicating firefighting efforts, and the situation could change rapidly, the prefecture said.

More than 23,000 people were evacuated as a precaution from threatened areas: around 18,000 in Biscarrosse and about 5,000 in Parentis-en-Born. Residential neighbourhoods, campsites, a care home and a holiday camp are affected. Biscarrosse town centre was also included in the evacuation measures on Friday. For many families, this means having to abruptly leave their accommodation and familiar surroundings in the middle of the holiday season.

Authorities are directing evacuees to the western part of the municipality, to Biscarrosse-Plage, as well as via a route opened in the south towards Mimizan-Plage. In Sanguinet, a hall was opened for people unable to find private accommodation. The prefecture is asking people to avoid the operational area and keep access routes clear for firefighters, emergency services and security forces.

More than 300 firefighters were already deployed overnight, supported by personnel from Air Base 118 and gendarmes. The prefect of Landes, Gilles Clavreul, activated the departmental crisis unit, which is coordinating the measures. As of Friday, it was not yet officially known how many animals from the affected riding facilities had been caught or accommodated.

The release of the horses shows how quickly a wildfire can overwhelm normal protective measures. Those responsible for the facilities apparently faced an immediate choice: keep the animals in a potentially threatened area or open an escape route for them. Official statements issued in the morning contained no reports of injured people or animals.

Authorities initially made no final statement on the cause of the fire. The priority now remains to slow its spread and ensure the protection of evacuees. The fire near Biscarrosse is affecting a region where forests, campsites and residential areas are particularly close together in summer – and where every shift in the wind can determine the next phase of operations.