French authorities today evacuated another 7,000 people due to a large forest fire in the Bordeaux region, in southwestern France, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
This brings the total number of tourists and residents evacuated in the region to 12,000.
This is a precautionary measure that covers six campsites and a nudist housing complex, located north of Cap Ferret.
The fire near Arcachon Bay has been raging since Wednesday and has so far covered about 2,000 hectares.
Two firefighters died while extinguishing a fire near Bordeaux airport, in southwestern France, DPA reported yesterday. citing a statement by Interior Minister Laurent Nunes, BTA reported.
Nunes told parliament in Paris that the two died while battling a fire in two buildings. The fire service later said the two were trapped in their fire truck, which was engulfed in flames.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences to their families.
According to a local newspaper, the fire initially broke out in an area bordering the airport's long-term parking lot.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire, said Renaud Godeul, a prosecutor in Bordeaux. It remains to be seen whether the fire was caused by negligence or was deliberately set, he added.
The Gironde department, where Bordeaux is located, is currently under the highest level of forest fire alert.
Bordeaux airport was partially disrupted, with takeoffs temporarily suspended. Landings, however, continued.
A firefighting plane was also called in to help contain the blaze. Huge plumes of smoke, visible even from the city of Bordeaux itself, rose into the sky as rescue teams tried to bring the blaze under control.