FIREFIGHTERS BATTLING AGAINST TIME, NEW HEATWAVE EXPECTED

PARIS, JULY 27 /SRNA/ - The wildfire in Gironde has been contained, but it is still not under control and could flare up again at any moment, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.

Following a meeting of the interdepartmental crisis task force coordinating efforts to combat forest fires, chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, Nuñez said that "this means the fire did not spread overnight," BFMTV reported. He said that 1,500 firefighters, 18 aircraft and 1,500 soldiers have been deployed at the scene, adding that the situation in the area affected by the fire is improving, but remains critical. Nuñez said that the wildfire in Gironde has affected 42,000 hectares. So far, 88 firefighters have been injured in fires across France. Four more were injured overnight, the Gironde prefecture announced. "Significant ground resources have been deployed along the route to stop and contain its spread," the prefecture said, adding that the situation nevertheless remained "unfavourable." However, weather conditions appear to be improving today, Sky News noted. Firefighters' efforts throughout the day have been focused on "clearing the edges of the fire and establishing tactical firebreaks, with support from aerial resources." Minister of Ecological Transition Monique Barbut said that a total of 115,000 hectares have burned in France this year. That is an area around 11 times larger than Paris and exceeds the 98,000 hectares that had burned by Saturday, July 25. The European Union will send additional assistance to help fight the fires in Gironde. A total of nine aircraft and two helicopters will be deployed in the area tomorrow, European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said. "Our teams on the ground are currently racing against time, in cooperation with the French authorities," Lahbib said. French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Gironde this afternoon to meet with firefighters and officials. Firefighters sought to take advantage of more favourable weather conditions today in an effort to contain massive wildfires threatening the French city and wine region of Bordeaux, as well as numerous locations in neighbouring Spain. Firefighters are effectively racing against time, as another heatwave is expected. France's meteorological service has announced that a new heatwave will hit the country tomorrow, with high temperatures expected to hamper firefighting efforts. "Intense heat will affect a large part of the country on Tuesday, July 28, with the peak intensity expected on Wednesday, July 29," the meteorological service said in a statement. According to experts, the wildfires in Spain and France are among the most extreme ever recorded in Europe in terms of their size, speed of spread and the storm systems they generate. Experts explained that human activity influences the occurrence and spread of fires, and that vegetation is necessary for them to develop, but that the key driver of their extreme behaviour is hot and dry summer weather.