Nearly 170,000 people have been evacuated as wildfires continue to rage across southwestern France, with the largest blaze in the Gironde department consuming more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) since it erupted earlier this week.
Speaking at a news briefing on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said a total of 167,000 people had been evacuated from areas threatened by the fire, which has been burning since Wednesday and is advancing towards the Bordeaux metropolitan area.
Nunez said 57,000 residents were evacuated overnight alone.
He added that 500 soldiers had been deployed to Gironde, with another 500 expected to reinforce firefighting operations in the coming hours.
Authorities have mobilised 18 aircraft, including Canadair and Dash water bombers, while the A400M military transport aircraft has been deployed for firefighting operations for the first time.
Nunez said that nearly 98,000 hectares (242,000 acres) had burned across France so far this year, describing it as a historic record.
In neighbouring Landes, around 30,000 people have also been evacuated, with 550 firefighters battling another major wildfire.
Meanwhile, in the southeastern Var department, a separate blaze has scorched around 3,250 hectares (8,030 acres), where approximately 1,000 firefighters remain deployed.
Authorities said strong, shifting winds have severely hampered firefighting efforts, describing conditions as “catastrophic” as the fire continues to spread beyond control.