More than 60,000 people evacuated from the Cap Ferret peninsula, fires have so far consumed 8,700 hectares. Croatian Canadair CL-415 with 11 soldiers departed from Zemunik to help.
Massive wildfires raging in southwestern France have forced authorities to order a full evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula (Lège-Cap Ferret), and on Friday, July 24, 2026, Croatia dispatched a Canadair CL-415 firefighting aircraft with 11 members of the Croatian Armed Forces to assist in the firefighting efforts. The fire that broke out in the town of Saumos, in the Gironde department of southwestern France, has so far consumed 8,700 hectares and claimed the lives of two firefighters.
Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas ordered the "final phase" of the evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula early Friday morning. Residents and tourists were instructed to leave the area via the main D106 road toward Bordeaux, while boat services were organized from four piers between 7 and 10 a.m. local time for those unable to leave by road. Brocas noted that the evacuation proceeded "calmly" and that homes in the evacuated areas would be monitored to prevent theft and vandalism. By Thursday, July 23, approximately 20,000 people had been evacuated from the Gironde region, many of them tourists staying in campsites.
In addition to the fire in Gironde, a second major fire broke out Thursday afternoon near the town of Biscarrosse, in the neighboring Landes region along the Atlantic coast. This fire led to the evacuation of more than 23,000 people, including 18,000 residents of Biscarrosse itself and 5,000 people from the nearby town of Parentis-en-Born. Those evacuated had to leave homes, campsites, a nursing home, and a summer camp. According to a report from N1 Croatia, the Friday morning briefing stated that the evacuation of downtown Biscarrosse was ongoing.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday evening that the wildfire situation in the country is "very tense," particularly in the Gironde region, and that he had requested assistance from the European Union. Macron announced that air support would soon arrive from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the scale of the disaster, saying: "C'est le plus gros feu de la saison" (this is the biggest fire of the season). Two firefighters died earlier this week while battling a fire near Bordeaux airport.
A Canadair CL-415 firefighting aircraft with two crews and aircraft maintenance personnel, totaling 11 members of the Croatian Armed Forces, departed Friday morning from the "Colonel Mirko Vukušić" barracks in Zemunik. The order to deploy was issued by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anušić, based on a Croatian Government decision authorizing the crossing of borders to provide humanitarian aid. Commander of the 855th Firefighting Squadron, Colonel Milan Došen, stated: "Our crew is ready for the mission in France. The situation in southwestern France is severe, and we are joining French forces to help fight the firestorm." According to Dnevnik.hr, this is the first international deployment of the 855th Firefighting Squadron this year.
The firestorm has not spared neighboring Spain, where the government has declared a state of emergency due to wildfires burning out of control in several areas near Madrid. The situation in southwestern Europe points to an increasingly intense wildfire season, and significant forces remain engaged on the ground in France, with additional ground and air reinforcements expected. Authorities have urged citizens not to travel to the affected areas.
